Illinois Supreme Court Rules Against Uber in Wrongful Death Arbitration Case
The Illinois Supreme Court has ruled against Uber Technologies, Inc. in a case concerning the arbitrability of wrongful death claims. The case stems from the death of Mark Geller, an Uber passenger who died in a single-vehicle accident involving an Uber driver. Mark Geller's wife, Gloria Sheridan Geller, acting as the independent administrator of his estate, filed claims for wrongful death and under the Survival Act. Uber sought to compel arbitration based on terms-of-use agreements signed by both Mark and Gloria. While the circuit court compelled arbitration for the survival claims based on Mark's agreement, it denied arbitration for the wrongful death claims relying on Gloria's agreement. The appellate court reversed this, stating an arbitrator should decide if Gloria's wrongful death claims fell within her arbitration agreement. However, the Illinois Supreme Court ultimately decided that Gloria had not "clearly and unmistakably" agreed to delegate the arbitrability of the estate's wrongful death claims ...
