Cubria v. Uber Technologies, Inc.

242 F. Supp. 3d 541, 2017 WL 1034731, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 37721
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Texas
DecidedMarch 16, 2017
DocketCase No. A-16-CA-544-SS
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 242 F. Supp. 3d 541 (Cubria v. Uber Technologies, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Cubria v. Uber Technologies, Inc., 242 F. Supp. 3d 541, 2017 WL 1034731, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 37721 (W.D. Tex. 2017).

Opinion

ORDER

SAM SPARKS, UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

BE IT REMEMBERED on the 13th day of January 2017, the Court held a hearing in the above-styled cause, and the parties appeared in person or through counsel. Before the Court are Defendant Uber Technologies, Inc. (Uber)’s Motion to Compel Arbitration and Dismiss or, in the Alternative, to Stay the Case [# 20], Plaintiff Melissa Cubría (Plaintiff)’s Response [# 35] in opposition, Uber’s Reply [# 37] in support, Plaintiffs Supplemental Memorandum [# 39] in opposition, and Uber’s Response [# 40] in support. Having reviewed the documents, the arguments of counsel, the governing law, and the file as a whole, the Court now enters the following opinion and orders granting the motion.

Background

Uber, a company incorporated in Delaware and headquartered in California, operates an online service that connects riders seeking transportation with available drivers. Mot. Compel [# 20] at 3. Uber’s customers request rides and pay for the requested rides through the use of Uber’s smartphone application (the App). Id. Plaintiff, a law school graduate, is an Uber rider who resides in Austin, Texas. Compl. [# 1] ¶ 2.

I. Account Creation Process

To use Uber, riders must first create an account. Mot. Compel [# 20] at 3. Plaintiff created her account through her cell phone using the App on October 13, 2013. Id. at 4. At the time Plaintiff created her account, the process involved three steps. Id. The first step prompted Plaintiff to submit her email address, cell phone number, and chosen password. Id. After all the entry fields were completed, the “Next” button became illuminated and Plaintiff clicked that button to move to the next step. Id. For the second step, on a screen entitled “Create a Profile,” Plaintiff entered her first and last name. Id. Plaintiff again clicked the illuminated “next” button to proceed to the final step. Id.

The final step featured a screen prompting Plaintiff to enter her credit card information to pay for ride requests. Id. Below the entry field for the credit card information were the words “By creating an Uber account, you agree to the Terms of Service & Privacy Policy.” Id. The words “Terms of Service & Privacy Policy” featured bold text inside a box outline. Id. The box was a clickable button, which if clicked, would take the user to a page with two hyperlinks, one for Uber’s “Terms & Conditions” and another for its “Privacy Policy.” Id. at 5. There was no “Ok” or “I accept” button. Resp. [# 35] at 3. Once Plaintiff entered her credit card information, the “DONE” button became enabled and was clicked to create the account. Mot. Compel [# 20] at 5. Subsequently, Plaintiff used Uber’s services over 300 times. Id. at 6.

II. Terms and Conditions

The Terms and Conditions (TACs) in effect when Plaintiff signed up for Uber [545]*545(2013 TACs) specify that they “constitute a legal agreement between [Plaintiff] and Uber.,.. ” and by “using or receiving any service supplied to [Plaintiff] by [Uber] ... [Plaintiff] hereby expressly acknowledge[s] and agree[s] to be bound by the terms and conditions of the Agreement; and any future amendments and additions to this Agreement as published from time to time” on Uber’s website or through the App. Mot. Compel [#20-11] (2013 TACs) at 1.

It is undisputed that Uber issued new TACs on January 2, 2016 (2016 TACs). Mot. Comp. [# 20] at 8 n.4; Resp. [# 35] at 3.1 Section 6 of the 2016 TACs, entitled “Dispute Resolution” contains a subsection called “Arbitration,” which states in relevant part:

You agree that any dispute, claim or controversy arising out of or relating to these Terms or the breach, termination, enforcement, interpretation or validity thereof or the use of the Services (collectively, “Disputes”) will be settled by binding arbitration between you and Uber, except that each party retains the right to bring an individual action .in small claims court and the right to seek injunctive or other equitable relief in a court of competent jurisdiction to prevent the actual or threatened infringement, misappropriation or violation of a party’s copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, patents or other intellectual property rights. You acknowledge and agree that you and Uber are each waiving the right to a trial by jury or to participate as a plaintiff or class in any purported class action or representative proceeding.

Mot. Compel [# 20-13] (2016 TACs) at 10. The 2016 TACs incorporate the American Arbitration Association (AAA) Rules, stating, “The arbitration will be administered by the [AAA] in accordance with the Commercial Arbitration Rules and the Supplementary Procedures for Consumer Related Disputes (the “AAA Rules”) then in effect....” Id. at 11.

Additionally, in a separate section, the 2016 TACs contain a choice-of-law provision, which provides, “These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of California, U.S.A., without giving affect to any conflict of law principles, except as maybe otherwise provided in supplemental terms applicable to your region.” Id. at 12. Neither party claims supplemental terms apply.

III. Plaintiffs Claims

Plaintiff filed this putative class action on May 4, 2016, alleging Uber violated the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, 47 U.S.C. § 227 (TCPA), by robo-texting Uber riders in Austin without the riders’ express consent. Compl. [#1] ¶6. TCPA prohibits “mak[ing] any call (other than a call for emergency purposes or made with prior express consent of the called party) using any automatic telephone dialing system or an artificial or prerecorded voice” to any telephone number assigned to a cellular telephone service. 47 U.S.C. § 227(b)(l)(A)(iii). TCPA’s prohibition on automatic telephone dialing systems “encompasses both voice calls and text calls to wireless numbers including, for example, short message service (SMS) calls....” In re Rules and Regulations Implementing [546]*546the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991, Report and Order, 18 F.C.C.R. 14014, 14115 (July 3, 2003). Plaintiff claims she received robo-text messages as part of a political campaign by Uber to oppose a City of Austin ordinance requiring background checks for Uber drivers. Compl. [# 1] ¶ 1. Plaintiff purports to represent herself and all others similarly situated under Rule 23 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Id. ¶¶ 34-42.

Uber moved to compel arbitration, and on January 13, 2017, the Court held a hearing to evaluate all pending motions in this case.2 The motion to compel is now ripe for review.

Analysis

Uber argues the question of arbitrability — if the parties must be compelled to arbitrate their claims — is for the arbitrator to decide under the 2016 TACs. Mot. Compel [# 20] at 15-16.

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242 F. Supp. 3d 541, 2017 WL 1034731, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 37721, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cubria-v-uber-technologies-inc-txwd-2017.