Lawyer suing e-scooter companies calls user agreements “draconian”

Enlarge / People ride Bird shared dockless electric scooters along Venice Beach on August 13, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (credit: Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Several Californians have sued electric scooter companies Bird and Lime, alleging that the startups have been negligent and are responsible for physical injuries or blocking of handicapped parking spaces.

The proposed class-action lawsuit, Borgia et al. v. Bird Rides Inc. et al., which was filed last Friday in Los Angeles county court, raises a question that has been at the heart of this ever-expanding business model: who is responsible for making sure that riders obey not only existing traffic laws but company policies as well? And if anyone gets hurt by the scooter, who pays?

While previous lawsuits have alleged the companies are liable for scooter-related injuries, this lawsuit appears to be the first proposed class-action suit.