Grubhub Driver’s Appeal Tackles Unsolved California Gig Issues

Former food delivery driver Raef Lawson still wants payback from Grubhub Inc. in one of the earliest lawsuits to define legal fights against gig economy companies in California, even after tectonic shifts in the state’s laws surrounding worker classification.

Lawson originally sued Grubhub in 2015 for his alleged misclassification as an independent contractor. He argued he’d been denied minimum wages, overtime, and expense reimbursement—all of which apply only to employees.

He lost three years later in what was the first gig worker classification case to reach trial in California, and Lawson appealed. After years of delay, his case goes before ...