(Baltimore Sun) – More than 30 Maryland cab companies filed a lawsuit Thursday against the popular ride-sharing company Uber, alleging antitrust violations and demanding an unspecified amount of damages for upending the state’s cab industry.
The lawsuit, filed late Thursday in Baltimore Circuit Court, joins a string of legal actions against Uber as traditional taxicab companies and regulators across the country confront the company’s cheaper and consumer-friendly army of drivers.
Led by five major cab companies and their drivers, the lawsuit contends that Uber’s surge-pricing model is akin to price-fixing, that its refusal to abide by traditional cab regulations creates an unfair marketplace, and that taken together, the company has interfered with cabdrivers’ relationships with their clients.
Uber spokesman Taylor Bennett said in an email that it would be “premature to comment on litigation we have not reviewed.”