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Motorized scooter pioneer Bird has brought legal action in Los Angeles Superior Court, asking the tribunal to strike down a ban on the bikes enacted by the city of Beverly Hills six months ago. In the wake of the ban, the city has impounded more than 1,000 scooters. Calling any ban in California “illegal,” Bird’s chief legal officer promised a progressive review of bans imposed in other cities across the Golden State.
Bird has seen the demand for its motorized bikes skyrocket in California in the last 12 months, but the company has encountered repeated challenges from cities that were unprepared for the onslaught. In addition to Beverly Hills, other cities that have taken action to ban the scooters include Ventura, West Hollywood and El Segundo.
On the other hand, a number of municipalities, including Long Beach, Los Angeles and Santa Monica, have developed pilot programs that allow the motorized scooters on city streets. However, those ordinances require that Bird and other scooter companies obey parking laws and share data with the cities.
In its complaint, Bird alleges that Beverly Hills broke California laws, including a statute that ensures equal rights for drivers, bicyclists, motorcyclists and motorized scooter riders. The lawsuit also alleges that Beverly Hills took property without due process of law, noting that Bird had to pay more than $10,000 to reclaim its scooters. In addition, the legal action contends that Beverly Hills violated environmental and open meeting laws.
We offer over three decades of combined experience to people in California who have been hurt because of someone else’s carelessness, including men and women injured in any kind of motorcycle accident. For a private consultation, contact Weber & Nierenberg online or call us at 1-866-288-6010. Your initial meeting is free of charge.
Even though they seem to be increasingly popular with commuters and the public, electronic scooters continue to be the source of legal issues for their manufacturers. In fact, a lawsuit filed in state court in Los Angeles County earlier this fall named a number of e-scooter companies as defendants and the allegations included “aiding and abetting assault” and engaging in “gross negligence.”
The California litigation, which names Bird, Lime and other e-scooter enterprises, was filed as a class action on behalf of eight individuals who say they suffered injuries because of the companies’ business practices. The injured parties (plaintiffs) contend that scooter companies have increased the risk of injury by placing scooters on public streets without any safety warnings or ways to ensure that individuals who rent or drive them are qualified to do so. They allege in their lawsuit that this constitutes a “public nuisance.”
The complaint further states that the e-scooter companies either knew or should have known that their customers were injuring others, specifically pedestrians, but took no action whatsoever to address the problem. By failing to act, they allege, the companies “assisted and encouraged” customers to engage in behavior that constituted assault.
The plaintiffs also contend that there are product liability concerns with many of the scooters— they have either defective electronics or defective mechanical parts (or both). Attorneys for the plaintiffs say there are “scores” of riders and pedestrians who have already been injured, and they have asked the court to certify a class action.
At the law offices of Weber & Nierenberg, we bring more than 30 years of combined legal experience to personal injury victims across California, including people who have been hurt in scooter accidents. We will listen carefully to learn the unique details of your case so that we can customize our legal representation to obtain the outcome you need. Contact our office online or call 1-866-288-6010 to set up a free initial consultation with an experienced California motorcycle and scooter accident attorney.