San Francisco law firm helps transgender invidividuals get settlement with Lyft

A group of drag performers and activists in San Francisco has reached a settlement with Lyft Inc. over reports of transgender individuals being denied rides through the service.

The 20-page agreement was made with the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a group founded in 1979 as an "order of queer and trans nuns" and Kevin Seaman, a drag queen who performs under the name LOL McFiercen.

In 2017, while in costume, Seaman was denied a ride by a Lyft driver; the company offered a $10 voucher in response to a complaint. Other trans and drag individuals later came forward with similar stories.

Working with the attorneys from the National Center for Lesbian Rights, Seaman and the Sisters hired the San Francisco firm Rosen Bien Galvan & Grunfeld LLP. The firm notified the company of potential violations of state laws including the Unruh Civil Rights Act. The parties entered negotiations last year to modify the company's policies and procedures.

Under the agreement, Lyft will retrain employees and make it easier for riders to file complaints directly through the company's smart phone app. The company will also have 120 days to create a pop-up notification to be pushed to drivers through the company's app in order to make sure they understand the non-discrimination policies.

The agreement also contained a nod to to last year's landmark state Supreme Court case, Dynamex Operations West Inc. v Superior Court, 2018 DJDAR 3856, noting that when negotiations began, the company believed "its drivers are independent contractors, which imposes limitations on Lyft's ability to control aspects of a ride."

-- Malcolm Maclachlan