California Gig Worker Ruling Extends Costly, Fierce Legal Fight

A long-running bid by Uber Technologies Inc., Lyft Inc., and other gig companies to treat their California drivers as independent contractors likely will be ultimately decided by the state’s Supreme Court despite a recent significant legal win at a state appeals court.

A divided ruling handed down Monday largely backed a voter-approved initiative that a coalition of gig companies bankrolled for more than $200 million, setting the stage for another round of judicial review that will determine the job status of hundreds of thousands of California app-based drivers, legal observers say.

The high-stakes fight over the measure, known ...