Uber Held Liable in Landmark Sexual Assault Lawsuit
▼ Summary
– A federal jury in Phoenix found Uber liable for a passenger’s sexual assault and ordered the company to pay $8.5 million in damages to the victim.
– This verdict could set a precedent for over 3,000 similar consolidated federal lawsuits against Uber.
– Uber has historically argued it is not responsible for drivers’ criminal actions, despite receiving thousands of sexual assault reports.
– The company’s spokesperson stated Uber plans to appeal the verdict, claiming it acts responsibly on safety.
– As the first such verdict, this case may serve as a bellwether for all the following centralized federal proceedings.
A federal jury in Phoenix has delivered a significant verdict, finding Uber legally responsible for a passenger’s sexual assault. This decision could establish a crucial precedent for thousands of other lawsuits consolidated in U.S. federal court. The jury ordered the ride-hailing company to pay $8.5 million in damages to the victim, Jaylynn Dean, who reported being raped by her driver during a trip to her hotel in late 2023.
For years, Uber has maintained that it cannot be held accountable for criminal acts committed by drivers using its platform. This stance has been challenged repeatedly amid ongoing public and legal scrutiny over passenger safety. The company’s own data reveals a troubling pattern: its most recent U.S. safety report documented 12,522 reports of sexual assault between 2017 and 2022, with drivers implicated in nearly 70 percent of those incidents.
Following the verdict, an Uber spokesperson stated the company intends to appeal. The spokesperson emphasized that Uber believes the facts show it acted responsibly and has made substantial investments in safety protocols, adding that safety remains a core priority. The case was overseen by U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer, who is managing all similar federal lawsuits against the company in a centralized proceeding.
While this specific verdict does not legally bind the outcomes of the other pending cases, legal experts note it functions as an important bellwether for future proceedings. As the first of over 3,000 consolidated cases to reach a jury verdict, it provides a clear signal of how juries may interpret Uber’s liability and could influence settlement negotiations across the entire litigation. The ruling intensifies the legal pressure on gig economy platforms regarding their duty of care to users.
(Source: The Verge)
