Uber ordered to pay $40M to parents of woman fatally struck after being left on freeway
Emily Normandin-Parker's parents speak out after an arbitration award.
The parents of a 23-year-old woman who was struck and killed after her Uber driver left her along a Southern California freeway are speaking out after being awarded $40 million in an arbitration against Uber and the driver.
Carol Normandin and Ken Parker, the parents of Emily Normandin-Parker, sat down exclusively with "Good Morning America" in an interview aired on Thursday to discuss their daughter's death and the arbitration award.
Asked if they believe Uber put profits over their daughter's safety, Normandin responded, "Absolutely."
Normandin-Parker, a 2022 UCLA graduate, was taking an Uber home with her friend Luna Moore after a night out when Moore became sick during the ride, according to the arbitration award.
The driver, Vu Tran, pulled over on State Route 73 in Orange County at a gore point -- the triangular area by the off-ramp on the freeway, according to the arbitration.
"He chose to pull over there and demand money and kick them out of the car. All I can think that Emily was doing -- her friend, the driver arguing -- was to get help. They argue, Emily gets hit while they're arguing," Normandin told ABC News' Trevor Ault in an interview that aired Thursday on "GMA."
Stone found that Tran knew Normandin-Parker and Moore were intoxicated when he left them at the location following a dispute over a cleaning fee.
In his arbitration award, retired Judge Richard A. Stone, who served as the arbitrator, described the gore point as an "unsafe and illegal" area and found that Tran could have instead taken the nearby MacArthur Boulevard exit and stopped in a safe location.
Stone also wrote in the award that Tran knew Normandin-Parker and Moore were intoxicated and had argued with Moore over a cleaning fee before leaving the women at the location.
Normandin-Parker later entered the freeway and was struck and killed by a vehicle.
According to the arbitration award, GPS data showed Tran drove near Normandin-Parker's body before taking the next exit and calling Uber to seek a cleaning fee.
Stone described Tran's testimony as "largely -- in fact, almost entirely -- incredible and unbelievable."
The arbitrator also found Tran showed "far more worry for his new car than he did for his passengers" and that he had options to get the women to a safe location.
According to attorneys representing Normandin-Parker's parents, evidence presented during the arbitration showed Uber had received previous complaints about Tran's driving. One rider described a trip with Tran as "the least safe" ride they had experienced, while another said, "he cannot drive."
Parker described the complaints to "GMA" as "driving the wrong way on a one-way, erratic driving, almost hitting pedestrians, very erratic behavior."
Following the five-day arbitration, Stone awarded $20 million each to Normandin and Parker, finding Uber and Tran jointly and severally liable. Moore was separately awarded $300,000. The arbitrator did not award punitive damages.
Stone also found Uber vicariously liable for Tran's negligence as a common carrier. In his decision, Stone rejected Uber's argument that it is "merely a technology company" connecting riders with drivers, finding that Uber provides transportation services to the public through its app, sets prices and controls key aspects of the rider experience.
The arbitrator also rejected Uber's argument that Proposition 22 -- a California ballot measure approved by voters in 2020 that allows companies to classify app-based drivers as independent contractors instead of employees -- prevented the company from being held liable for Tran's conduct.
In a statement to "GMA," an Uber spokesperson said, "No family should have to suffer the loss of a child, and our thoughts continue to be with the Normandin-Parker family."
"While we respect the arbitration process, we believe the arbitrator was wrong in holding Uber legally responsible for the tragic events of that night," the statement continued.
"We have continued to strengthen our approach to safety over the years...including additional guidance to drivers about avoiding drop-offs in unsafe locations," the statement said.
Normandin-Parker's parents also spoke to "GMA" about Uber's efforts to keep the arbitration award from being made public.
"We didn't have much time to absorb the award before Uber almost immediately started contending that it could not be made public and then sent an agreement to us requiring non-disparagement, the $10 million penalty for saying anything bad about Uber," Parker said. According to a press release from their attorneys, Normandin and Parker established the Emily Normandin-Parker Foundation following their daughter's death to advocate for ride-hailing safety and corporate accountability. Proceeds from the arbitration award will be used to fund the foundation, the release said.
Ian Samson, an attorney for the family, told "GMA," "he said, I'm troubled by all this, and changing the policies and practices is something Uber should do. And since the arbitration award was issued, what I've seen is great urgency by Uber to try to keep it secret."
According to a press release from their attorneys, Normandin and Parker established the Emily Normandin-Parker Foundation following their daughter's death to advocate for ride-hailing safety and corporate accountability. Proceeds from the arbitration award will be used to fund the foundation, the release said.
When asked what else they wanted people to know about their daughter, Normandin said, "Her laugh was contagious."
"And she was funny. And she could sing. Oh my god, could she sing," Normandin said.
