Uber Technologies failed to persuade a judge to approve a settlement offering 1.6 million California drivers an average of $1.08 apiece to dispense with alleged labor-code violations that their lawyer claimed might have been worth billions of dollars.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Maren Nelson issued a tentative ruling rejecting a deal aimed at resolving one of more than a dozen US lawsuits challenging the company’s contractor-based business model.
The judge said there’s merit to objections that the $7.75 million accord — most of which would go to state coffers, administrative costs, and lawyer fees — shortchanges drivers who sued seeking the protections and benefits of employees. Nelson also said the settlement provides too broad a release of liability for Uber from labor-code claims.
‘‘I need some analysis why it is fair and adequate,’’ she said during a hearing Friday.
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