The firm obtained another victory for client Uber Technologies, Inc. in its continued defense of Uber’s operations around the U.S. Uber began offering its service in New Mexico in May of 2014. In September of 2014, New Mexico taxicab and limousine companies brought a class action lawsuit against Uber under New Mexico’s Motor Carrier Act and Unfair Practices Act. The plaintiffs claimed that Uber was operating as an unauthorized transportation service carrier by failing to adhere to various taxicab regulations and requested that the court permanently enjoin them from doing any business in New Mexico.
Quinn Emanuel attorneys stepped in and briefedand argued against the injunction on short notice. Thecourt rejected the plaintiffs’ request for a preliminaryinjunction, accepting the firm’s argument that due to theinnovative nature of Uber’s service, the matter was best left to the jurisdiction of New Mexico Public RegulationCommission. Subsequently, on Uber’s motion, the Courtdismissed the plaintiffs’ claim pursuant to the primaryjurisdiction doctrine. After the court’s ruling, the plaintiffsvoluntarily dismissed an unrelated negligence claim based on an isolated car accident.By defeating the plaintiffs’ request for injunctive relief and obtaining dismissal of the suit in its entirety, the firmensured that Uber will continue to be available to usersin the State of New Mexico. The opinion will also serveas valuable precedent for arguing that courts across thecountry should defer to regulatory agencies and refrain from hearing similar claims in the future.