Uber is one of the most popular rideshare apps in the country. Unfortunately, as its popularity has grown, so have reports of rideshare sexual abuse. If you or a loved one was assaulted by an Uber or Lyft driver, you are not alone, and Phillips Law Group may be able to help you file an Uber sexual assault lawsuit.
According to a page on the United States District Court Northern District of California website, a “Multi District Litigation (MDL) case involving whether Uber Technologies, Inc. and related entities (collectively, “Uber”) failed to implement appropriate safety precautions to protect passengers” is underway as of July 2024. It had over 300 plaintiffs in July 2024 and is only expected to grow.
Uber released a United States safety report in 2022 that revealed 3,824 sexual assaults occurred during trips between 2019 and 2020. While that number decreased from a previous report, it is still far too high.
If you were sexually assaulted during a trip as an Uber passenger, you may be able to file a rideshare lawsuit alleging unwanted sexual contact or harassment from the driver.
If Uber hasn’t put adequate safety measures in place to protect passengers, they should be held accountable for any pain and suffering due to an Uber sexual assault.
Many current Uber sexual assault lawsuits accuse the company of failing to appropriately screen and execute background checks on Uber drivers before hiring them to drive around customers using the platform. If the end goal for the company was simply to grow the number of drivers rather than bring on drivers who had faced appropriate scrutiny before being allowed to act as independent contractors for Uber, the rideshare company should face accountability.
Indeed, one major allegation against Uber is that the company didn’t even require fingerprinting for driver registration as part of potential driver screening and background checks. Some of the sexual assault lawsuits involving Uber note that the company should’ve known that by implementing inadequate safety measures and background check processes, the company was putting riders at risk for sexual assault, rape, harassment, kidnapping, and more.
Our firm is dedicated to supporting victims of Uber sexual assault and other assaults while using a rideshare service. We understand the importance of holding perpetrators accountable and seeking compensation for the emotional and physical trauma endured by survivors.
Anyone who has experienced criminal sexual assault as defined under their state’s criminal code while riding in a rideshare vehicle or otherwise interacting with a rideshare driver can file suit against the individual driver and potentially the company they contracted with as well. Importantly, it is also possible to file suit over other types of sexual misconduct committed by rideshare drivers, such as unwanted sexual contact, molestation, indecent exposure, and non-consensual acts like kissing.
Likewise, it may be possible to take legal action over criminal acts which are often related to but do not necessarily constitute sexual assault, such as continued harassment and stalking. In some situations, it is even possible to sue over attempted sexual assault by a rideshare driver even if that attempt was unsuccessful, if the attempt itself resulted in some form of physical and/or psychological harm.
In order to have valid grounds to file suit over a sexual assault which occurred inside a rideshare vehicle, you must be able to prove that your case meets all the following criteria:
Notably, there is no requirement for an Uber or Lyft to be criminally charged for sexual assault before you can file civil suit against them for the harm they caused you through their assault.
As of December 2024, the “multidistrict litigation” against Uber over their organizational failure to prevent sexual assaults by drivers against passengers through more diligent screening and hiring processes includes more than 1,450 pending lawsuits filed by plaintiffs in 29 different states, as well as over 1,600 claims filed specifically in California. Furthermore, that MDL does not include the hundreds of claims which Uber has settled privately with the claimants before they were folded into the MDL or ruled upon by a lower court.
Every state has a different “statute of limitations”—a section of state law which sets filing deadlines for civil claims—for sexual assault litigation, so the amount of time you may have to sue over your sexual assault will depend on what state the assault occurred in. For example, Arizona state law allows most people just two years after sustaining an injury of any kind through someone else’s misconduct for the injured person to file suit, even if that injury stemmed from an intentional and criminal act like sexual assault.
However, many states allow the starting point for the applicable statutory filing period to be “tolled,” or paused, under certain circumstances. For instance, if someone under the age of 18 experiences sexual assault in Arizona, state law grants that person two years from the date on which they turn 18 to file suit if the assault occurred when they were 15 years of age or older, and there is no deadline whatsoever for civil claims over sexual abuse which occurred before the targeted person turned 15.
The abovementioned MDL over Uber passenger sexual assaults is being overseen by Senior District Judge Charles R. Breyer in the Northern District of California. In August of 2024, Judge Breyer dismissed many of the claims included in the MDL hailing from Texas and California for lack of specificity in the allegations made against Uber and Uber drivers, but will continue to allow those plaintiffs to refile if they can provide more specific evidence about how the particular assault occurred and how Uber facilitated its occurrence. As of December 2024, the discovery phase of the case is still ongoing, as Uber has continually risen issues that could not been resolved by the original September 2024 discovery deadline.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual assault while using Uber or Lyft, it’s crucial to seek legal assistance. The attorneys at Phillips Law Group may be able to help.
We understand the legal challenges inherent in taking on a company like Uber and know how to handle sexual assault cases with sensitivity and discretion. Our goal is to ensure that victims receive the justice and compensation they deserve, and we will work with you from the very first phone call to our firm to help you fight for your rights every step of the way.
Please call Phillips Law Group today for a free, no-obligation consultation today. This totally confidential evolution will help you determine your best next legal steps if you were assaulted as a rideshare passenger. Contact us now to learn more about filing a rideshare sexual assault lawsuit.
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