£340 MILLION SHOWDOWN: Uber dismisses blockbuster black cab lawsuit as “completely unfounded” in High Court battle

Uber has dismissed a £340 million legal claim brought by around 13,000 London black cab drivers as “completely unfounded”, as one of the UK’s largest competition and damages cases reached the High Court for a preliminary trial.

An Uber spokesperson said: “These old claims are completely unfounded. Uber operates lawfully in London, is fully licensed by TfL, and is proud to serve millions of passengers and drivers across the capital.”

The comments came as the case entered its first major legal test this week, with the court considering whether the claims were brought too late under limitation rules before any evidence relating to the underlying allegations is heard. Uber’s legal team argues that if it succeeds on the preliminary issue, the litigation will end without the court considering the substantive claims.

The proceedings have been brought by approximately 13,000 licensed London black cab drivers alongside claims linked to two former private hire operators, Kabbee and Iride. Together they are seeking around £340 million in damages, alleging Uber obtained and operated under its London private hire operator licence unlawfully between 2012 and March 2018, resulting in licensed taxi drivers losing significant earnings.

According to Uber’s defence, the allegations are denied “in their entirety”. The company argues the claims are “misconceived both in law and in fact” and says there are “serious defects” in the case advanced by the claimants.

The preliminary hearing centres on the application of the Limitation Act 1980 rather than the wider allegations. Uber argues the claims were issued more than six years after the relevant period ended and are therefore statute barred unless the claimants can rely on provisions allowing the limitation period to be extended. Its legal submissions state that unless the claimants can establish this point, “all claims in this action are time barred” and should be dismissed.

Uber’s skeleton argument also contends that many of the matters relied upon by the claimants had already been widely discussed within the taxi industry years before proceedings were issued. The company says information surrounding regulatory investigations, court proceedings and Transport for London’s licensing decisions was publicly available well before the limitation deadline it says applies.

The claimants maintain that they could not reasonably have discovered sufficient information to pursue their claims until later events surrounding Uber’s licensing dispute with Transport for London. Uber disputes that position and says the claimants had ample opportunity to investigate and bring proceedings within the statutory period.

The outcome of the preliminary trial could determine whether the wider case proceeds to a full hearing examining the allegations surrounding Uber’s licensing and operations in London.

If the court agrees with Uber’s limitation arguments, the £340 million claim could be dismissed without a trial on liability. If the claimants succeed, the litigation will move on to consider the substantive allegations, all of which Uber continues to deny.