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Uber must pay $9 million in settlement to sexual assault victims
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The California Public Utilities Commission recently approved a $9 million dollar settlement agreement with rideshare company Uber due to the company failing to document and report on sexual assault.
In Uber’s 2019 Safety Report the company stated that the total amount of sexual assault and harassment claims for 2017 and 2018 was 5,981. This lead the CPUC to order Uber to file the report’s data and to answers questions on the sexual abuse claims, however Uber balked on the order stating that releasing the data would be a “shocking violation of privacy.”
Were you assaulted in an Uber or Lyft?
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Uber plays ‘Hide and Seek’ in Sex Assaults Case Documents
March 1, 2024 –Uber it seems is playing game of Hide and Seek when it comes to providing the court with its sexual assault case documents, a lawyer for sex assault victims tells the California federal court judge.
The case involves that Uber has known for a while that its drivers were assaulting passengers but never to the steps to correct the behavior. Last December, U.S. District Judge Charles R.Breyer ordered Uber to produce “all documents defendants produced to legislative, regulatory, or enforcement entities in connection with government investigations or inquiries of Uber within the United States with respect to sexual assault, including attempted assaults.”
Council for the plaintiffs says that Uber provided a list, but it fell short of what the court wanted. “There are a number of other proceedings that we have become aware of through conversations with other plaintiff’s counsel and reviewing the dockets and spending hours on Google,” said Sarah London of Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein LLP. “Because we were unable to get complete answers from Uber when we asked them for this information.”
Uber responded by saying to the court that the parties simply could have met with one another about the requested documents. “It simply can’t be the case that Uber is responsible … to produce all the reporting that it does on a day-to-day basis,” the lawyer said.
“I haven’t gotten a single joint discovery letter. Instead, what I’m getting are these motions to enforce,” the judge said. “I want you to do joint discovery letters; that’s going to force you to meet and confer.”
This large MDL that started in 2014 alleges that Uber Technologies Inc. has known since 2014 that drivers were sexually assaulting passengers but consciously chose not to adopt various safety measures to prevent the assaults.
“When Uber launched its new transportation system, it did not hire any safety experts nor did it spend a single minute or a single dollar thinking about how to prevent sexual assault,” the suit said. “To this day, Uber’s efforts regarding safety are primarily focused on appearing safe, not actually being safe.”
Uber is Aware its Drivers are Predators, did Nothing Court Says
February 19, 2024 — Uber has been aware for nearly a decade that its drivers were preying on and sexually assaulting passengers, but it failed to implement effective policies to prevent such crimes, according to a master complaint filed in multidistrict litigation in California federal court.
The extensive MDL has already consolidated numerous lawsuits claiming that Uber Technologies Inc. has known since 2014 that drivers were sexually assaulting passengers but deliberately chose not to adopt various safety measures to prevent these assaults. These measures include requiring biometric data from driver applicants, mandating the use of video cameras, or conducting enhanced background checks using the FBI database utilized by the taxi industry.
The master complaint, filed on Thursday in San Francisco, stated that the decision not to implement more thorough and persistent background checks was driven by Uber executives’ desire for rapid expansion and increased profits. They believed that having more drivers available would lead to more money being made.
Despite marketing itself as a safe mode of transportation for women, the ride-hailing giant has seen over 10,000 sexual assaults reported since 2014. This stark contrast between their branding and the reality of the situation is deeply concerning.
“When Uber introduced its new transportation system, they neglected to employ any safety experts or devote any time or resources to preventing sexual assault,” the lawsuit stated. “Even now, Uber’s focus on safety is primarily centered around appearing safe, rather than actually ensuring safety.”
Rachel B. Abrams, co-lead counsel for the MDL plaintiffs at Peiffer Wolf Carr Kane Conway & Wise LLP, pointed out that Uber’s advertisements claim the platform is secure for women. “However, Uber’s own data contradicts their marketing claims, as it shows that the platform is not a safe environment for women. It is evident that Uber has never taken sexual assault seriously,” she stated in a press release on Friday. “Despite receiving numerous reports of rape and sexual assault over the past decade, Uber continued to run ads targeting young women, urging them to trust Uber with their safety.”
As of Friday, there has been no response from Uber’s legal counsel or company representative regarding requests for comment.
Rideshare drivers may not be properly vetted
Unlike traditional cab companies, both Uber and Lyft do not do background checks on drivers, this means potentially sexually violent people may be behind the wheel of the rideshare car you are riding in.
There have been numerous stories in the last few years reported by NPR of rideshare drivers accused of sexual misconduct including requesting sexual favors, masturbation, verbal threats, rapes and nonconsensual touching of a sexual body part. While the number of complaints is high (Lyft reported more than 4,000 cases of sexual assault) many victims may not report the sexual assault, so the numbers could be much higher.
What this settlement means for Uber/Lyft sexual assault victims.
While this $9 million dollar settlement is a victory for Uber sexual assault victims, it should be noted that we can still file an individual sexual abuse claim against any rideshare company if you were assaulted in any manner. In 2019 a Washington, DC woman sued Uber for $10 million after she was sexually assaulted, that case is still pending.
Were you a victim of sexual assault in a rideshare car?
We understand that this is a terrible situation and we know that you might be feeling vulnerable at this time, please reach out to us as we will hold these rideshare companies responsible for any sexual assault, rape, harassment, unwanted touching or other deviant actions.
Though each case is different, by filing a claim you can be provided with monetary compensation to pay for medical bills, psychological help, or help with loss of consortium (unable to have sex due to physical or mental trauma or PTSD).
Take action by calling us directly at 1-800-631-5656 or use the 100% secure intake form on this page.
Report any and all rideshare sexual abuse cases.
The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) keeps track of sexual assault and abuse and by contacting them you’ll help to create more awareness of this terrible trend. After contacting and reporting the rideshare company, you’re next step is to file a sexual assault claim against the company.
Our team of attorneys at the Schmidt National Law Group strongly believes that the rideshare companies have not provided enough vetting procedures and other methods for keeping riders safe, especially women who may use these services thinking that they are a safe way to travel.
Sources:
https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/news-and-updates/all-news/cpuc-approves-9-million-settlement-with-uber
https://www.theverge.com/2019/4/1/18290630/uber-sued-sexual-assault-driver-dc-lawsuit
https://money.cnn.com/2018/04/30/technology/uber-driver-sexual-assault/index.html