Erin Arvedlund:

A group of 45 Philadelphia taxi companies filed suit in federal court Tuesday alleging that Uber, the app-based taxi enterprise, is waging unfair competition against medallion owners who must operate under state laws and regulations.
 
 Lead litigant Checker Cab Philadelphia and the other cab operators accused Uber of racketeering.
 
 “Not since the days of bootlegging has there been a criminal enterprise so brazen and open as to attract hundreds of millions of dollars in investment from investment bankers and to operate in blatant violation of federal and state law as Uber,” reads the complaint. The case was filed in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
 
 Checker Cab Philadelphia and the plaintiffs group sued Uber; its chief executive officer, Travis Kalanick; Delaware-registered entities tied to Uber; and Google Ventures, which has invested $258 million in Uber.