GrubHub case may lead to new rules for independent contractors

NEW YORK: Food delivery company GrubHub Inc may be one of the first tech firms to feel the impact of a ruling this week from California’s highest court that makes it easier for workers to prove they are a company’s employees and entitled to costly legal protections.

Late on Friday, lawyers for a former GrubHub delivery worker asked a US appeals court in San Francisco to send his closely watched case against the company back to a judge who had previously dismissed it.

In light of the California Supreme Court’s decision, the lawyers said, the judge should reconsider Raef Lawson’s claims that he was an employee entitled to overtime pay and reimbursement for expenses.

The California court’s ruling on Monday could push some companies to rein in their use of contractors, according to several employment lawyers.