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Ontario’s top court has ruled that Uber drivers can turn to Canadian courts to try to resolve disputes with the ride-hailing service, paving the way for those drivers to move forward with a class-action lawsuit seeking to classify themselves as employees.

In a ruling released Wednesday, the Court of Appeal for Ontario concluded that an arbitration clause in Uber Technologies Inc.’s driver services agreement that forced drivers to resolve conflict overseas was “unconscionable” and “invalid.”

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The clause required drivers to resolve any disputes with Uber via mediation or arbitration in the Netherlands, a process with an upfront cost for drivers of US$14,500.

“I believe that it can be safely concluded that Uber chose this arbitration clause in order to favour itself and thus take advantage of its drivers, who are clearly vulnerable to the market strength of Uber,” Justice Ian Nordheimer wrote.