Ride sharing companies are largely hailed as the advent of the gig economy, which is the idea that people do not work as permanent employees for one employer but instead work in a labor market characterized by short-term contracts or freelance work. While creating a new type of entrepreneurship for individuals, a gig economy raises a host of new legal questions about the law of agency for companies utilizing gig workers.

Widgets operates a ride-sharing business in a small town.Your boss at an investment firm has asked you to evaluate Widget'slegal exposure for the conduct of its drivers, given the information below and identify, and to explain the law and legal liability in this vast new gig economy world.

• Analyze the circumstances under which Widgets might be liable for the conduct of a driver who, while intoxicated, caused an accident involving personal property damage and bodily injury. (Consider the issues below when formulating your answer:What is the law when it comes to liability for a Principal for an agent's tort?What is drunk driving?What civil remedies are there for an injured passenger today? )