21 states and DC join the FTC’s lawsuit against Uber

On Monday, nearly two dozen states, plus the District of Columbia, filed an amended complaint in the FTC’s lawsuit against Uber. According to the lawsuit, Uber charged consumers for the Uber One subscription without their consent, billed them before the end of a free trial, and shared misleading claims about how much consumers can save with the subscription. Uber One subscribers were allegedly forced to go through a lengthy and difficult process to cancel the subscription, which could mean tapping through up to 23 screens and taking 32 actions.

The states joining the lawsuit today are Alabama, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. According to the press release, the amended complaint “includes a request for civil penalties for alleged violations of the Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act and state laws.”

Uber denied the FTC’s claims when the original lawsuit was filed, adding in a statement to The Verge that “cancellations can now be done anytime in-app and take most people 20 seconds or less.”