An Uber class action settlement is paying out millions, possibly some of it to Houstonians

AP Photo/Richard Vogel, File

As part of a class action settlement, Uber recently agreed to pay out millions to anyone who used their “safer rides” feature between Jan. 1, 2013, and Jan. 31, 2016.

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Settlement documents show the crux of McKnight v. Uber centered on  people who used the ride sharing service paying extra fees for a driver the company guaranteed ‘safe,’ when, as settlement parties agreed, =.

Documents further described the methods Uber used to check the backgrounds of its drivers as inadequate.

RELATED: London Says Uber no Longer Allowed to Operate There.

The lawsuit, filed back in December of 2014, points out how drivers only needed to submit contact information, social security number and driver’s license number through an online form if they wanted to be marked ‘safe’ as an option for riders.

Part of the complaint for the settlement also reportedly stemmed how Uber did not require drivers to meet physically with an Uber representative or be fingerprinted.

Uber and the city of Houston previously clashed on the issue of background checks, as well, with Mayor Turner refusing to budge on background check requirements to include fingerprinting, according to clicktohouston.com.

In this case, the court eventually ruled in Uber’s favor, forcing the company and Houston to reach an agreement to lower the amount of money and effort going into obtaining a license to drive with Uber in Houston’s city limits.

This June, a group of 19 Houston drivers also sued Uber over their status as ‘independent contractors,’ which some of the parties described as a step above indentured servitude.

Court records showed a number of those parties wanted to be full company employees, with the suit further claiming Uber misrepresented how much drivers could realistically make working for the company.

In the latest legal disposition of the incidents, the McKnight lawsuit alleged Uber once again misrepresented its services, this time for the safety of its passengers relying on the extra safety promised with the designation.

Lawyers eventually came to a $32.5 million settlement, saying, if you qualify for a payout, your portion of the settlement will be deposited automatically with an active Uber account.

If you quit on Uber after one of your, as the settlement described, “unsafe” rides, January 2018 will be the cut off to file a claim online.

The hearing on whether to approve the agreement is scheduled for February 8, 2018.

RELATED: Uber Rider Offered Cash When Her Card Didn’t Process, but This Driver Allegedly Demanded Something Else

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