SACRAMENTO, California \u2014 Dueling measures from ride-hailing giant Uber and trial attorneys officially qualified late Wednesday for the November ballot, teeing up a high-cost showdown between the two sides.<\/p>\n
The battle pits Uber\u2019s plan to limit payouts in auto collision lawsuits against a countermeasure from the Consumer Attorneys of California that would hold the company liable for sexual misconduct by drivers and impose legal standards for background checks, risk assessments and safety reporting. Uber\u2019s initiative could deal a major blow to a sprawling industry of personal injury lawyers.<\/p>\n
Both sides are armed with tens of millions of dollars in preparation for a potentially grueling campaign to sway voters. It would likely become one of the most expensive ballot fights in California\u2019s history, unless the two sides reach a last-minute agreement to stand down.<\/p>\n
Wednesday\u2019s qualification notice from the California Secretary of State\u2019s office<\/a> follows a months-long advertising blitz from both camps.<\/p>\n Uber\u2019s campaign arm has spent more than $42 million on ads since January, according to tracking firm AdImpact, casting the Consumer Attorneys as an enabler of \u201cbillboard lawyers\u201d who prey on car crash victims for lucrative payouts. The company says its ballot measure would solve the problem by capping attorneys\u2019 fees at 25 percent and cracking down on \u201cphantom\u201d damages.<\/p>\n But a coalition of trial lawyers\u2019 groups, consumer advocates and medical professionals have spent millions on their own ad campaign to criticize Uber\u2019s plan as self-serving. Led by Consumer Attorneys, they contend Uber\u2019s measure would make it near-impossible for victims to sue ride-hailing giants and absolve the company of liability in crashes as it seeks to launch self-driving cars in the coming years.<\/p>\n Consumer Attorneys argues its ballot initiative would hold Uber accountable for what it says are persistent sexual harassment and assault concerns, citing a New York Times investigation<\/a> that found the company receives a complaint almost once every eight minutes. The trial lawyers\u2019 group abandoned two other anti-Uber countermeasures earlier this year before gathering enough signatures to qualify for the ballot.<\/p>\n Uber and the Consumer Attorneys still have time to reach an agreement that avoids a high-stakes ballot showdown. State law allows proponents to remove their measures from the ballot until June 25, which could happen if the two sides team up to support a legislative compromise.<\/p>\n Reaching a deal could be tricky. Uber and the Consumer Attorneys have bad blood stemming in part from legislation last year that lowered insurance coverage mandates for Uber and Lyft.<\/p>\n