Court rules Lyft isn’t required to do background checks

As a personal injury lawyer, I've seen a lot of Uber/Lyft cases since these apps were developed.

Last week, the California Court of Appeal answered a pressing question: Does Lyft have an obligation to conduct background checks on passengers to protect its drivers in California?

The Court of Appeal answered this question last week in Shikha v. Lyft, Inc.

Abdu Al Shikha was a Lyft driver who was brutally attacked and stabbed by a passenger he picked up. He was seriously injured. It turns out the passenger had a lengthy criminal record.

Al Shikha sued Lyft, arguing that the attack was avoidable if only Lyft had conducted a basic criminal background check on potential customers.

The trial court dismissed the case; the Court of Appeal affirmed the dismissal last week. It held that requiring Lyft to conduct a background check on all its passengers would result in too burdensome an obligation on rideshare companies.

As a general rule, person (or entity) A does not have a duty to protect person B from person C. An exception is when there is a special relationship between person A and B.

For example, a school has a special relationship with its students. An employer has a special relationship with its employees. Therefore, the school or employer must protect its students or workers.

But even if there's a special relationship between person A and person B, the duties person A owes person B can be limited when public policy supports it.

The Court in Shikha v. Lyft noted that Lyft has a special relationship with its passengers and drivers. Nevertheless, the Court ruled that Lyft does not have a duty to conduct background checks on every single Lyft user because doing so would be too onerous on the company.

Background checks could also result in discriminatory practices since millions of Californians have criminal records.

It’s an important case because it explains the duties that rideshare companies owe to passengers and drivers alike. The takeaway from the case is that rideshare companies are not obligated to conduct background checks on riders who use the app.

If you or someone you know were injured in an Uber or Lyft accident, whether in Los Angeles or anywhere in Southern California, feel free to reach out to my office.

I’m ready to assist, 24/6.