Uber has been ordered to pay $40 million to the parents of a 23-year-old woman who was hit and killed by another car on the freeway, after her Uber driver pulled over and ordered her and her friend to get out of the vehicle.

A California judge rejected Uber's argument that it only provides a software platform to connect riders with independent drivers, holding instead that Uber functions as a common carrier with a non-delegable duty to protect its passengers, according to a release from law firm Panish, Shea and Ravipudi.

Uber didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

The ruling came after a five-day arbitration process and hearing, which arose from the death of Emily Normandin-Parker in August 2023.

Normandin-Parker--a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles--called an Uber for a ride home following a night out with a friend, Panish, Shea and Ravipudi said. After Normandin-Parker's friend became sick, the pair's Uber driver, Vu Tran, reportedly pulled over on the freeway and ordered the two women to get out of the vehicle.

Normandin-Parker, who was intoxicated, was left stranded alongside multiple lanes of freeway traffic, where she was struck by several vehicles and killed, the release said.

Tran, the Uber driver, reportedly left the scene and shortly afterward requested that Uber charge Normandin-Parker's account a cleaning fee. Prior to the incident, Uber had received multiple complaints about Tran, according to Panish, Shea and Ravipudi.

Rahul Ravipudi, a partner at the law firm, said in a statement that the ruling is about accountability, "not only for Emily and her family, but for every passenger who trusts Uber to get them home safely."