A federal judge in New York ruled that a 2021 city law requiring food delivery companies to share customer data with restaurants is unconstitutional, citing violations of the First Amendment. Delivery giants like DoorDash, Grubhub, and Uber Eats argued that sharing personal data such as names, addresses, and phone numbers infringed on privacy and hurt their business. The law, intended to support restaurants recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, was found to improperly regulate commercial speech.
Legal battles like this often involve New York attorneys, including criminal lawyers in New York and New York white-collar attorneys, who defend clients in high-profile disputes. The ruling also highlights concerns over data privacy, something personal injury or criminal defense attorneys in NYC may address when representing clients facing data breaches or business disputes.
Judge Analisa Torres in Manhattan noted that the city failed to show a compelling need for the law, which could have been addressed through less intrusive measures, such as letting customers opt into data-sharing or offering financial incentives. Delivery companies celebrated the ruling, with DoorDash noting that it protected New Yorkers’ data and reinforced First Amendment rights. Grubhub also emphasized the importance of maintaining privacy protections for city residents.
This decision has broader implications for data security in business operations, as privacy concerns are often defended by New York attorneys or criminal defense attorneys in NYC. Protecting personal information has become a significant issue in legal disputes, particularly in cases involving large corporations.
As New York City’s legal landscape evolves, lawyers from different sectors, including personal injury lawyers in NYC or white-collar defense experts, may increasingly face cases where data privacy and regulatory overreach play key roles.