Uber found liable for sexual assault in first of 3,000 similar lawsuits

A federal jury in Phoenix has found Uber to be liable for the sexual assault of one of its passengers, potentially setting a precedent for more than 3,000 similar cases consolidated in US federal court. As part of the verdict, Uber has been ordered to pay $8.5 million in damages to the victim, Jaylynn Dean, who said she was raped by her Uber driver during a ride to her hotel in November 2023.

“Today’s verdict validates the thousands of survivors who have come forward at great personal risk to demand accountability against Uber for its focus on profit over passenger safety,” Sarah London, co-lead and liaison counsel for the plaintiffs in the case, said in a statement. “The jury heard extensive evidence about Uber’s practices and recognized that Uber is responsible for the conduct of its drivers.”

According to Uber’s most recent US safety report, the company received 12,522 reports of people being sexually assaulted from 2017-2022, with almost 70 percent of reports being against drivers. In a statement reported by The New York Times, Uber spokesperson Matt Kallman said that Uber plans to appeal the verdict.

“This verdict affirms that Uber acted responsibly and has invested meaningfully in rider safety,” said Kallman. “We will continue to put safety at the heart of everything we do.”

Dean’s case was overseen by US district judge Charles Breyer, who is also managing all of the similar, centralized federal lawsuits against Uber. While the verdict is not binding on the other cases, as the first, it could serve as a bellwether for all court proceedings that follow.