Lyft Drivers Handed Differing Arbitration Rulings in D.C., N.Y.

Lyft Inc. drivers in Washington, D.C., who want the workplace benefits provided to employees must face arbitration rather than pursuing their claims in court, a federal judge said on Wednesday.

But in a separate ruling Wednesday in a federal court in New York, a judge found that workers for the ridesharing giant should be carved out from arbitration agreements to allow them to advance their tax-related claims in court.

In both cases, the Lyft drivers, who are classified as independent contractors, had signed arbitration agreements that keep their disputes out of court. But both sets of plaintiffs argue they should ...