That distinction would give Uber's drivers more rights and benefits. In another case earlier this year, Uber rival Lyft initially had a similar settlement with its drivers rejected by a different judge. Shannon Liss-Riordan, the lead attorney representing the Uber drivers, said she thinks a revised settlement is possible in this lawsuit, too. In that event, the case could be whittled to about 8,000 drivers because of binding arbitration clauses that Uber holds. Had the case gone to trial and the drivers prevailed on them, they might have won estimated $854 million, based on estimates from the drivers' attorneys.

Source: ABC News August 19, 2016 00:04 UTC