Uber ordered to pay $40 million over rider's freeway death in arbitration

Retired judge Richard A. Stone, acting as arbitrator, ordered Uber and its driver Vu Tran to pay $40 million — $20 million to each parent — over the death of Emily Normandin-Parker, 23, who was struck and killed on a California freeway on August 12, 2023. The July 2026 award, captioned Signature Resolution, was released by Panish Shea Ravipudi, the law firm representing her parents, Carol Normandin and Ken Parker.

The night of the crash

Normandin-Parker, a 2022 UCLA graduate, was riding home with her friend Luna Moore after a night out when Moore became sick and vomited in the car. Tran pulled over on State Route 73 in Orange County at a triangular gore point beside an off-ramp and argued with Moore over a cleaning fee. According to the award, Normandin-Parker, intoxicated, then wandered into traffic and was struck and killed.

Stone called the gore point an unsafe and illegal stopping place under Vehicle Code section 21718, noting that Tran admitted as much at the hearing, and found he could have taken the nearby MacArthur Boulevard exit. He also wrote that GPS data showed Tran drove near Normandin-Parker's body as he left, then pulled off at the next exit to call Uber about recovering the cleaning fee.

Vicarious liability and Proposition 22

In a five-day hearing held March 23–29, 2026, Uber argued that Tran was an independent contractor and described itself as a technology company connecting riders with independent third-party drivers. Stone rejected that framing, finding Uber vicariously liable for Tran's negligence as a common carrier, a status he wrote carries a non-delegable safety duty under California Civil Code section 2168. His award states, under a capitalized heading, that Proposition 22 does not shield Uber from vicarious liability.

Normandin and Parker were each awarded $20 million, with Uber and Tran found jointly and severally liable. Tran was held liable to Moore for intentional infliction of emotional distress, with Uber jointly and severally liable on that claim; Moore received $300,000.

Uber's response and the fight over the award

In a statement quoted by BBC News, Uber said: “We have continued to strengthen our approach to safety over the years, through new technology, policies and safeguards informed by safety experts, including additional guidance to drivers about avoiding drop-offs in unsafe locations.”

Ken Parker told Good Morning America that Uber moved to keep the award private and sent the family an agreement requiring non-disparagement, with a $10 million penalty “for saying anything bad about Uber.” Panish Shea Ravipudi said the proposed settlement would have barred even truthful statements about the company's connection to the death.