On July 13, more than 500 women together sued Uber, claiming that drivers had sexually assaulted, abducted, or otherwise harmed them.
According to a press release from the legal team, Slater Slater Shulman LLP, “Women passengers 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.”
The law firm asserts that reports of assault go back to 2014 and asserts that “Sexual predators driving for Uber have continued to attack passengers in the eight years since sexual predators driving for Uber became aware that their drivers were sexually assaulting and raping female passengers.”
In its second U.S. Safety Report, released by Uber last month, the business said that it had received 3,824 reports of the five most serious types of sexual assault between 2019 and 2020, a 38 percent decrease from the 5,981 cases disclosed in the first report from 2017 to 2018.
The women’s lawyer, Adam Slater, said: “Uber’s entire business model is built on offering people a safe ride home, yet rider safety was never their focus – growth was, at the price of its customers’ safety.”
Although the firm has just acknowledged the sexual assault epidemic, its actual response has been delayed and insufficient, leading to terrible repercussions.
The law firm also asserts that the ride-sharing corporation put “expansion over client safety.”
According to the complaint, Uber was “fixated on getting new drivers onboard as rapidly as possible to fuel expansion” and “eschewed customary background check requirements.”
Travis Kalanick, the former CEO, was charged with disregarding safety after he ‘intentionally opted’ out of conducting extensive background and fingerprint checks prior to onboarding new employees.
The company’s current CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi, who came over in 2017, has upheld that stance.
Uber refused to put cameras in cars despite widespread media attention regarding sexual assault by drivers in 2018 and continued to have a “three strikes” policy for its drivers, which allowed predators to continue operating the vehicle despite serious passenger complaints.
Although it claimed to have recently improved its safety features, Uber said it was unable to comment on the ongoing dispute.
We treat every single report of sexual assault seriously because it is a terrible crime.
Safety is paramount, which is why Uber has developed new safety features, established survivor-centric policies, and increased transparency regarding serious incidents, according to an Uber spokesperson.
The emergency button is one of the safety elements the ride-sharing firm has added.
Riders can now use the app to call or SMS 911, and the authorities will obtain the precise location’s coordinates.
There is also a ride check tool that enables the business to use sensors and GPS data to determine if a driver is veering away from the intended location.
In this case, a check-in notification will be sent to both drivers and passengers.
The corporation also claims that background checks are performed on each driver and that criminal charges are flagged. Every year, each driver is rescreened.
The legal practice cited five client-related anecdotes in the news release.
The victims came from a variety of states, including Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and California.
In August 2021, a motorist assaulted and forcibly kissed a passenger in the front seat in an unidentified place.
In October 2021, a driver in Boston, Massachusetts, attempted to rape a woman.
Another driver made an attempt to rape another victim in the same month outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
In November 2021, a driver sexually assaulted a passenger in a remote part of Perris, California.
In February 2022, a driver in the area of Chino Hills, California, sexually assaulted and attempted to rape a passenger.
The Chino Hill passenger stated that when she was riding in the front seat, the driver “groped her beneath her skirt.”
Then the driver stopped and pushed her into the back seat.
Liz, a fictitious name, managed to fend off the driver and flee to a neighboring motel.
According to documents seen by the New York Post, the driver was turning around before swerving to the side.
What was supposed to be a five-minute trip became a “23-minute nightmare” in an instant.
“I had a few drinks and wanted to cross the street to the gas station, and my companion had advised taking an Uber,” the 37-year-old stated. I decided to give it a shot, but it ended up being a nightmare.
I was hesitant to take the front seat at first, but since this was only my second or third Uber ride over all, I rationalized that it was usual.
He had made an attempt to begin reaching up my skirt. I attempted to open the door, but he had locked it when I tried to do so because I continued shoving him away and he was becoming stronger.
After 20 minutes, Liz was thrown into the rear seat, where she was able to kick the door open and escape to the hotel.
Because she had left her phone in the car, she tried to call the police from the front desk, but the alleged assailant arrived at the scene to retrieve the phone.
Liz sought to use Uber to complain, but she was sent away without receiving a reimbursement for her $7 ride.
Due to her experience of being raped in her 20s and the police investigation’s failure, she postponed taking immediate action.
After being encouraged to do so by her friends and therapist on account of the “hundreds of other women” who had experienced this, she made the decision to file a lawsuit.
How many times are you going to let this just be pushed into the dark, they questioned, noting that this is happening to hundreds of other women in addition to you?
It must be exposed and brought into the open.
Uber nearly paid a $59 million fine last year for failing to inform California regulators about sexual assault statistics.
The business and the California Public Utilities Commission reached an agreement, and the company paid $9 million to promote safety programs.
The State General Fund received another $150,000 in fines.