Sen. Ted Cruz, Texas Republican, predicted Wednesday that Uber Eats will soon find itself in legal trouble over its decision to drop delivery fees on orders from black-owned restaurants, arguing that the policy violates federal civil rights statutes.
Mr. Cruz said the company will likely be hit with discrimination lawsuits, presumably from restaurants without black ownership.
“This will be an expensive exercise in virtue signaling,” Mr. Cruz tweeted. “Because their explicit race-based discrimination is willfully in defiance of federal civil rights laws, Uber Eats will lose EVERY ONE of the lawsuits that are about to be filed.”
In a June 4 statement, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said that the Uber Eats, as a “starting point, will promote Black-owned restaurants while making it easier for you to support them, with no delivery fees for the remainder of the year.”
“And in the coming weeks, we will offer discounted rides to Black-owned small businesses, who have been hit hard by COVID-19, to help in their recovery,” said his statement, which ended with, “Black Lives Matter.”
Black-owned businesses and others were also hit hard by the rioting mobs that vandalized, torched and looted franchises and storefronts in major U.S. cities in the wake of protests over the May 25 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody.
San Francisco attorney Harmeet K. Dhillon said that the Uber policy was “not only pandering, but it violates California’s Unruh Act & other civil rights laws.”
“You know what? Restaurants are owned by, hire, & serve ALL kinds of people, & they ALL have rights to equal protection & freedom from discrimination. Try harder,” Ms. Dhillon tweeted.
The Unruh Civil Rights Act “specifically outlaws discrimination based on sex, race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, mental or physical disability, age or medical condition (including HIV status),” as described by California’s Dolan Law Firm.
Uber, known for its ride-hailing app, is based in San Francisco.
David J. Harris Jr., a black conservative author, host and Falkirk Center fellow, tweeted that “Uber Eats replaced an equality-based system with one that is racially biased … You can’t make this stuff up.”
“Virtue signaling CEO’s like Uber boss Dara Khosrowshahi are falling all over themselves to prove they’re not racists,” said Lawrence David in a post on Mr. Harris’ website. “In the case of UberEats, Khosrowshahi’s wokeness actually led [him] to invoke a blatantly racist policy where none had previously existed.”
This will be an expensive exercise in virtue signaling. Because their explicit race-based discrimination is willfully in defiance of federal civil rights laws, Uber Eats will lose EVERY ONE of the lawsuits that are about to be filed. https://t.co/U1gR9fwANZ
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) June 10, 2020
This is not only pandering but it violates California’s Unruh Act & other civil rights laws. You know what? Restaurants are owned by, hire, & serve ALL kinds of people, & they ALL have rights to equal protection & freedom from discrimination. Try harder. https://t.co/eAw1nOMwwa
— Harmeet K. Dhillon (@pnjaban) June 6, 2020
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.
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