Uber Sexual Assault Survivor Lawsuits Join Together in Federal Court

80 lawsuits alleging Uber failed to prevent sexual assaults by its drivers employed by or using its rideshare application move forward, centralized before one judge

After hundreds of women came forward with their claims against Uber alleging the company failed to protect them from sexual assault, the litigation took a step forward last month. About 80 cases have been grouped together for discovery and pretrial purposes under Judge Charles Breyer in the Northern District of California. The cases may eventually go to trial, or one may be selected as a bellwether trial which would act as a representative trial for all of the cases.   

In the lawsuits, alleged incidents of sexual assault range from groping to rape and kidnapping by drivers hired by Uber. Plaintiffs allege negligence by the rideshare company, raising similar concerns that passenger safety features were lacking, and sub-par background checks were completed for drivers, which have enabled sexual misconduct by Uber drivers across the nation. 

Victims further allege that while Uber can indeed make its rideshare services safer for passengers, the company’s response to remedying the rising number of sexual assaults and safety incidents has slowed to a crawl. NPR reports that victims also allege Uber does not consistently remove drivers from their roster after sexual assault allegations are filed against them. Plaintiffs note that Uber could be doing more to ensure the safety of their platform, such as conducting fingerprint background checks and recording rides with a dashcam.

While Uber has been sued before for similar claims, this is the first time that these cases have been grouped together under one judge to streamline proceedings – and potentially bring justice for so many survivors. Data from Uber’s 2020 safety report its previous report from 2018 shows 9,805 reports of sexual assaults in Uber rides from 2017 to 2020, which included 852 reports of rape.

Think You Have an Uber Sexual Assault Claim? Contact Grant & Eisenhofer Today

If you or a loved one were sexually assaulted by an Uber driver while a passenger in the driver’s vehicle, please call the attorneys at Grant & Eisenhofer. We offer free, confidential consultations and are here for you at any time.