Uber’s sexual assault scandal is far from over.
According to legal documents obtained CNBC, more than 500 women across the country are suing the company for failing to protect its passengers from predatory drivers. The plaintiffs allege they were “kidnapped, sexually assaulted, sexually battered, raped, falsely imprisoned, stalked, harassed, and/or otherwise attacked by an Uber driver with whom they had been paired with through the Uber Application.”
The complaint—filed by the Slater Slater Schulman firm—alleges the ride-share giant has known about the attacks and misconduct since 2014, the same year it implemented the $1 “Safe Rides Fee.” Uber claimed the extra charge would cover extended background checks and safety education for its drivers; however, the plaintiffs argue Uber has not properly used its resources to prevent the aforementioned crimes.
“Uber’s whole business model is based on giving people a safe ride home, but rider safety was never their concern – growth was, at the expense of their passengers’ safety,” Adam Slater, Founding Partner of Slater Slater Schulman told People magazine. “There is so much more that the company can be doing to protect riders: adding cameras to deter assaults, performing more robust background checks on drivers, creating a warning system when drivers don’t stay on a path to a destination.”
The San Francisco-based law firm says it is now investigating at least 150 other claims against Uber.
News of the lawsuit comes just weeks after Uber shared its 2022 safety report, which showed it received more than 3,800 reports of sexual assault in 2019 and 2020. The company said the number of reported incidents decreased by 37 percent from its 2017-2018 safety report.
“Sexual assault is a horrific crime and we take every single report seriously,” an Uber spokesperson told People. “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.”
