In a 2023 sexual assault case, a federal jury this week ruled Uber legally liable, directing the ridesharing giant to reimburse a woman who claimed one of its drivers had sexually assaulted her while she was travelling on the app $8.5 million.
The Arizona court’s decision came after years of criticism of Uber’s safety record, much of which stems from thousands of sexual assault cases that both drivers and passengers have reported.
Uber has long argued that it is not responsible for the misdeeds of its drivers since they are classified as gig workers, or contractors, rather than employees of the corporation.
Uber invests billions of dollars to ensure that every rider feels as though they are travelling with the company.
Ellyn Hurd, one of the lawyers for plaintiff Jaylynn Dean, said that the jury reached that conclusion yesterday. She clarified that the verdict found Uber accountable for the assault since the driver was an “apparent agent” of the business.
Hurd went on to say that her staff was “extremely proud of our client for taking on such a big, strong company.” She added that the jury’s verdict might have a big effect on situations like this.
Uber stated that it will file an appeal. Furthermore, the jury found no evidence of negligence or faulty safety systems beyond apparent agency.
In a statement, spokesman Andrew Hasbun said the decision “affirms that Uber acted responsibly and has invested meaningfully in rider safety.” He went on to say that the award was “far below” the entire sum that the plaintiff’s attorneys had originally asked for.
The case is based on an Uber journey that Dean, then 19 years old, took in November 2023 on her way to her hotel after celebrating her impending flight attendant training graduation at her boyfriend’s house in Arizona.
According to the complaint, the driver pulled over halfway through the ride, got into the back seat, and sexually assaulted her.
This legal complaint did not include the driver’s name.
Uber knew for a long time that its drivers were abusing passengers and failed to put in place the necessary safety precautions to prevent this from occurring.
The company’s response was described as “slow and inadequate” in the complaint, which was made in December 2023, placing “the lives and well-being of its customers at grave risk.”
Uber, which is headquartered in San Francisco, claims to have improved safety on its platform through several initiatives, including collaborating with Lyft in 2021 to compile a database of drivers who were fired from ride-hailing services due to sexual assault and other offenses.
The business claims that over time, there has been a significant decline in reports of sexual assault.
Uber asserts that between 2017 and 2018, 5,981 sexual assault events occurred in U.S. rides, compared to 2,717 in 2021 and 2022 (the most recent years for which data is available).
The company claims that these incidents accounted for 0.0001% of all trips made in the country.
However, detractors emphasize that to safeguard customers and assume greater accountability in the event of assault, ridesharing businesses must establish additional standards.
“The verdict on Thursday validates survivors who have come forward at great personal risk to demand accountability against Uber,” said Sarah London, another lawyer for Dean. But the work is far from done, she noted.
Despite her gratitude for the result on behalf of her client, she pointed out that there are still thousands of cases to be resolved and that “the results of the ongoing litigation and whether meaningful safety reforms are implemented to protect passengers going forward will ultimately determine justice.”
