The parents of a 23-year-old UCLA graduate who was struck and killed after an Uber driver left her along a Southern California freeway have been awarded $40 million following years of arbitration, according to a Good Morning America report by Trevor Ault.
Emily Normandin-Parker had been riding home with her friend Luna Moore after a night of drinking and dancing when Moore became sick in the vehicle, Ault reported. The driver, Vu Tran, then pulled over at a gore point along State Route 73 in Orange County, an area described during arbitration as both unsafe and illegal for stopping.
Emily’s parents, Carol Normandin and Ken Parker, say their daughter should never have been left there.
Driver Allegedly Left Them Beside The Freeway
According to Ault, Tran became upset after Moore vomited in the Uber and pulled over in the triangular area separating the freeway from an exit ramp.
Normandin told Ault that the driver demanded money and made both women get out.
“He chose to pull over there and demand money and kick them out of the car,” she said.
She believes Emily was trying to get help as the driver and passengers argued.
“They argue, Emily gets hit while they’re arguing,” Normandin said.
Emily later entered the freeway and was struck by another vehicle.
Retired Judge Richard A. Stone, who served as arbitrator, found that Tran had other options and could have taken the nearby MacArthur Boulevard exit before stopping in a safer location.
That distinction became central to the case because the tragedy was not simply about where the ride ended, but why two intoxicated passengers were left beside moving freeway traffic in the middle of the night.
Arbitrator Criticized Driver’s Conduct
Ault reported that Stone sharply criticized Tran’s explanation of what happened.
According to the arbitration award, Stone found the driver’s testimony “largely – in fact, almost entirely – incredible and unbelievable.”
The arbitrator also found that Tran knew the women were intoxicated and had been arguing with Moore about a cleaning fee.
GPS evidence presented during the arbitration showed Tran later drove near Emily’s body before taking the next exit and contacting Uber about the cleaning fee.
Stone wrote that Tran appeared to show “far more worry for his new car than he did for his passengers.”
That finding is especially troubling because the basic duty at issue was not complicated: get vulnerable passengers to a place where they were not exposed to obvious danger.
Family Says Uber Had Previous Complaints
Ault reported that one of the most important discoveries during the case involved earlier complaints about Tran.
The family learned that Uber had allegedly received as many as six complaints about his driving.
Parker described reports involving wrong-way driving on a one-way street, erratic behavior and nearly hitting pedestrians.
One rider reportedly described a trip with Tran as the least safe Uber ride they had experienced, while another simply said, “he cannot drive.”
The family’s attorneys argued that Uber had enough information to take those complaints more seriously.
Parker said the company indicated it would review Tran’s account, but the family says they found no evidence that a meaningful investigation ever occurred.
That raises an obvious question: how many warning signs should have to accumulate before a platform decides a driver may no longer be safe enough to transport passengers?
Uber Argued Driver Was An Independent Contractor
Uber fought the claim that it should be legally responsible for Tran’s actions.
Ault reported that the company argued its drivers are independent contractors and that Uber itself should not be held liable for what happened that night.
The arbitrator rejected that position.
Stone found Uber and Tran jointly and severally liable and awarded $20 million each to Normandin and Parker.
Moore was separately awarded $300,000.
Stone also found that Uber provides transportation services through its app, sets prices and controls important parts of the customer experience rather than operating only as a neutral technology platform.
The arbitrator further rejected Uber’s argument that California’s Proposition 22 prevented the company from being held responsible for Tran’s conduct.
Uber Disagrees With The Decision
Uber told Good Morning America that it continues to sympathize with the family but disagrees with the ruling.
“No family should have to suffer the loss of a child, and our thoughts continue to be with the Normandin-Parker family,” the company said in a statement provided to Ault.
Uber added that while it respects the arbitration process, it believes the arbitrator was wrong to hold the company legally responsible for what happened.
The company also said it has strengthened its safety practices over the years, including giving drivers more guidance about avoiding drop-offs in unsafe locations.
For Emily’s parents, however, those changes came far too late.
When Ault asked whether they believed Uber placed profits above their daughter’s safety, Normandin answered without hesitation.
“Absolutely,” she said.
Family Says Uber Tried To Keep Award Private
The family also criticized what happened after the arbitration decision.
Attorney Ian Samson told Ault that the arbitrator himself expressed concern about the case and suggested Uber should change its policies and practices.
Samson said that after the award was issued, he saw “great urgency” from Uber to prevent the result from becoming public.
Parker said the family had barely had time to process the decision before Uber began arguing that the award could not be released publicly.
He also said the company sent an agreement containing a non-disparagement provision with a $10 million penalty for speaking negatively about Uber.
Emily’s parents rejected those efforts.
They said their daughter would have wanted them to speak publicly about what happened.
That decision turns the case into more than a private financial settlement. The family is trying to use Emily’s death as a warning about what can happen when safety systems fail and previous complaints are not taken seriously enough.
Parents Plan To Use Money For Safety Foundation
Ault reported that Normandin and Parker have created the Emily Normandin-Parker Foundation in their daughter’s name.
The family plans to use proceeds from the arbitration award to support ride-hailing safety and corporate accountability.
They say they want to provide protections that could help other passengers avoid the kind of situation Emily faced.
“People need protection,” their message suggests, especially when they are relying on a transportation service while vulnerable or intoxicated.
The $40 million award is significant, but for the family it appears to be less about the size of the payout than what they can do with it now.
No amount of money can undo what happened along State Route 73.
But the family hopes it can help prevent another one.
Family Remembers Emily Beyond The Case
Near the end of Ault’s interview, the conversation moved away from arbitration, legal arguments and company policy.
He asked Emily’s parents what else they wanted people to know about their daughter.
Normandin paused before answering.
“Her laugh was contagious,” she said.
The family remembered Emily as funny and talented, especially when it came to singing.
“Oh my God, could she sing,” Normandin said.
That part of the interview puts the entire case in a different frame.
The arbitration may be remembered for a $40 million award and a major ruling against Uber, but Emily’s parents are trying to make sure their daughter is remembered as more than the victim at the center of it.
For them, speaking publicly is part of that effort.
They lost a daughter after a ride that was supposed to get her safely home.
Now they are using the outcome of the case to push for protections they believe should have existed before she ever got into that car.
Raised in a small Arizona town, Kevin grew up surrounded by rugged desert landscapes and a family of hunters. His background in competitive shooting and firearms training has made him an authority on self-defense and gun safety. A certified firearms instructor, Kevin teaches others how to properly handle and maintain their weapons, whether for hunting, home defense, or survival situations. His writing focuses on responsible gun ownership, marksmanship, and the role of firearms in personal preparedness.
