Federal judge rules Uber calling its drivers independent contractors may violate antitrust and harm competition

A federal judge has ruled that alleged misclassification of drivers as independent contractors by the ride-hailing service app Uber could harm competition and violate the spirit of America's antitrust laws.

• Lawsuit says misclassifying workers creates competitive harm
• 30 days to amend complaint with new information

The ruling by Judge Edward Chen of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California is not a final decision in the case, but is a "significant warning to ride-hailing companies," Bloomberg News reports.

"It signals how a 2018 California Supreme Court case and future worker classification laws could open the floodgates to worker misclassification and antitrust claims."

More here.