Uber has been ordered to pay $40 million to the family of a UCLA graduate who died after her driver left her stranded on a California freeway.
Retired Los Angeles County Judge Richard A. Stone found that driver Vu Tran “needlessly placed” Emily Normandin-Parker and her friend in danger when he abandoned them on State Route 73, according to the family’s attorneys at Panish, Shea, Ravipudi.
“Emily did everything Uber tells riders to do—she made the responsible choice not to drive and we trusted Uber to get her home safely. That trust cost our daughter her life,” her parents, Carol Normandin and Ken Parker, said.
Normandin-Parker, 23, was killed in the early morning hours of August 12, 2023, after spending the evening with her friend Luna Moore in Costa Mesa, California.
The two women booked an Uber for the trip home, but Moore became sick and vomited inside Tran’s vehicle. The driver then ordered both passengers to leave the car.
Tran stopped at a gore point—the area separating an exit ramp from the State Route 73 freeway—where Normandin-Parker was struck by passing traffic.
She was hit as Moore, described in court accounts as furious, confronted Tran over the incident while he sought a cleaning fee for the vehicle.
Normandin and Parker brought negligence claims against Tran and Uber. After a five-day arbitration hearing in March, they were each awarded $20 million.
Stone criticized Tran for appearing to show “far more worry for his new car than he did for his passengers,” according to court documents reviewed by The Post.
“In a fit of anger, he needlessly placed them (and himself) in danger by illegally stopping in the gore point,” Stone wrote in his ruling.
The family’s lawyers also pointed to complaints from earlier passengers, who allegedly described Tran’s driving as “reckless.” Some claimed he “cannot drive” and called him “the least safe” driver they had encountered.
Tran argued that he should not be held responsible because Normandin-Parker had walked into traffic. Stone rejected that defense.
Uber executives also sought to keep the award private, reportedly warning the family that they could face a $10 million penalty if they discussed the case publicly.
“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 told Good Morning America on Thursday.
An Uber spokesperson said the company’s “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 spokesperson added.
The company said it has “continued to strengthen our approach to safety over the years,” including by providing drivers with additional guidance on avoiding drop-offs in dangerous locations.
Normandin, however, said she “absolutely” believes Uber placed its profits ahead of her daughter’s safety.
The family said the company has not taken sufficient responsibility for the circumstances surrounding Normandin-Parker’s death.
“The reason we’re talking is because he [Tran] didn’t take responsibility and neither did Uber,” Parker said. “They’re still not taking responsibility. We do not want this to ever happen to another mother or father.”
Tributes were paid to Laguna Beach native Normandin-Parker, who graduated from the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television with a major in theater, following her death.
“Emily was anything but ordinary,” her family said in an obituary.
“She was beautiful, empathetic, brave, smart, interesting, hilarious and extraordinary. She was a bright light, our Emily, and her life had just begun.
“Emily was an exceptionally talented writer and lover of all of the arts.
“She loved being with family, writing, drag shows, books, the ocean, animals, driving, concerts, music festivals, plays, musicals, movies, painting, drawing, the outdoors, baking with her dad and gardening with her mom.”
Her family created the Emily Normandin-Parker Foundation in her honor, which calls for greater rideshare safety.
Meanwhile, Moore was awarded $300,000 following the arbitration hearing.
