NEW YORK – Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman and New York State Superintendent of Financial Services Benjamin M. Lawsky today released the following statement regarding their motion for a temporary restraining order against the scheduled New York City launch of ridesharing service Lyft:
“After Lyft rejected a reasonable request by the State to delay its launch, we filed a motion for a temporary restraining order in State Supreme Court this morning. As a result of that action, the court has granted the State a temporary restraining order preventing Lyft from launching this evening in New York City. We will return to court on Monday, to address issues pertaining to Buffalo and Rochester in addition to New York City.
"We pursued this action only after repeatedly offering to work with Lyft in order to ensure that its business practices complied with the law. Instead of collaborating with the State to help square innovation with statute and protect the public, as other technology companies have done as recently as this week, Lyft decided to move ahead and simply ignore state and local laws. Lyft’s arguments are a disingenuous attempt to disguise old-fashioned law-breaking that jeopardizes public safety.
"We are pro-innovation and pro-competition, but allowing Lyft to flout dozens of different laws would, in addition to putting the safety of New Yorkers at risk, put law-abiding competitors at a substantial disadvantage -- and discourage innovators from innovating in a place where the regulatory environment is unevenly applied. We are committed to fostering a competitive marketplace where each participant is treated fairly.
"We are hopeful that Lyft will now recognize that it has to play by the same set of rules as everyone else."