The legal battle over whether trucking companies can use leased owner-operators ended June 30 when the
U.S. Supreme Court chose not to disturb a federal appeals court decision overruling an injunction against
enforcement of AB 5 against motor carriers. U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez, who had issued the injunction in
January 2020, on July 8 acknowledged the mandate of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, thereby
formally allowing the state to enforce the law. The California Trucking Association, which had led the legal
challenge to AB 5, estimates that the Supreme Court’s denial of a writ of certiorari affects approximately
70,000 owner-operators in the state. See Advocacy and Comment below for discussion of important issues.
