GrubHub, DoorDash and Caviar face lawsuits over worker misclassification

On-demand food delivery services GrubHub, DoorDash and Caviar were slapped with lawsuits Wednesday alleging that they misclassified their delivery drivers as independent contractors.

The complaints were filed in San Francisco Superior Court on behalf of the delivery drivers by Boston attorney Shannon Liss-Riordan, who is also representing plaintiffs in similar lawsuits against on-demand transportation companies Uber and Lyft. A federal judge in San Francisco certified the lawsuit against Uber for class action last month.

The complaints filed against GrubHub and DoorDash are both class actions, while the Caviar complaint is a demand for arbitration on behalf of a San Francisco driver.

Neither DoorDash nor Caviar immediately responded to requests for comment. A GrubHub spokesperson said the company does not discuss pending litigation.

According to one of the complaints, GrubHub treated its delivery drivers as employees but failed to provide any of the benefits -- such as expense reimbursements for gas, parking and phone data, meeting minimum wage requirements, and paying drivers for overtime.

“For all of these cases, we’re also representing drivers individually, including filing individual arbitrations where necessary,” Liss-Riordan said via email.

Worker classification has been a hot button topic in the on-demand economy, with entire business models and company valuations at risk of being shaken by lawsuits such as the ones filed against GrubHub and Uber.

Twitter: @traceylien

ALSO:

Uber drivers granted class-action status in legal battle

Volkswagen diesel scandal threatens to ruin its credibility and value

Anheuser-Busch InBev acquires L.A. craft beer maker Golden Road Brewing