Did the Ballot Proposition Impact Personal Injury Liability?
California’s Proposition 22 was passed by voters in November 2020 with a 58.63% “Yes” vote. The proposition re-designates drivers for app-based delivery and transportation companies as independent contractors instead of employees. At the time, almost all the discussion was centered upon the proposition’s expected impacts upon the employee benefits generally required for workers under California law, including overtime pay, sick time, health care, and unemployment insurance in exchange for the greater flexibility — for both the drivers and the companies — of independent contractor status. Another issue that was barely discussed at the time was the possible Proposition 22 effects on Uber and Lyft liability in personal injury claims and lawsuits stemming from traffic accidents.