The ride-sharing app Uber faces a class action lawsuit from over 500 women over alleged assaults from its drivers.
The lawsuit, filed on Wednesday, alleges that 550 women in multiple states were “kidnapped, sexually assaulted, sexually battered, raped, falsely imprisoned, stalked, harassed, or otherwise attacked by Uber drivers with whom they had been paired through the Uber application,” according to a statement released by Slater Slater Schulman LLP. The firm is investigating 150 more cases with similar claims.
UBER ENCOURAGED STAFF TO USE ‘KILL SWITCH’ TO KEEP DATA AWAY FROM POLICE: REPORT
“Uber’s whole business model is predicated on giving people a safe ride home, but rider safety was never their concern — growth was, at the expense of their passengers’ safety,” said Adam Slater, a founding partner of Slater Slater Schulman LLP. The alleged abuses all took place from 2015 until the present. The complaint was filed in San Francisco County Superior Court on Wednesday.
Although Uber was aware as early as 2014 that its drivers were sexually assaulting or raping female passengers, its response has been “slow and inadequate, with horrific consequences,” according to the lawsuit. The complaint alleges that Uber pursued growth above safety, eschewing traditional background checks in order to get new drivers as soon as possible. The company previously disclosed that it had received 3,824 complaints of sexual assault in 2019-2020 alone, with allegations ranging from “non-consensual kissing of a non-sexual body part” to rape.
Uber has also failed to institute proposed solutions to the problem, such as installing cameras in its vehicles, creating a warning system to alert passengers if the driver goes off the designated route to a destination, or more robust background checks, according to the lawsuit. The complaint also criticizes Uber’s “three-strike” policy, which has “kept predators at the wheel even after serious passenger complaints.”
In a statement sent to the Washington Examiner, Uber said, “Sexual assault is a horrific crime and we take every single report seriously. There is nothing more important than safety, which is why Uber has built new safety features, established survivor-centric policies, and been more transparent about serious incidents. While we can’t comment on pending litigation, we will continue to keep safety at the heart of our work.”
It added that “while the firm claims to be representing at least 550 women with cases — the law firm has only filed 12 to date. They have not been able to provide any critical incident details for us to identify a connection to the Uber platform.” In addition, Uber provided a list of safety features it has added, including the “RideCheck” feature, which uses sensors and GPS data to check if a trip has gone off course.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The latest lawsuit comes amid a string of crises for Uber, including a report last week that leaders in the company had encouraged staff to use a “kill switch” to hide information from law enforcement and regulators.
