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A California jury has ruled that Uber was negligent in failing to protect passengers from sexual assault, but determined the company should not be held legally responsible for damages in a closely watched trial, Reuters reported late yesterday.
The case centered on a woman identified as Jessica C., who was 18 when she said an Uber driver assaulted her in December 2019 while traveling home from college for the holidays.
After three weeks of testimony in San Francisco Superior Court, the jury delivered a split verdict. Jurors unanimously agreed that Uber was negligent, but ultimately found that its negligence was not a substantial factor in causing the assault. The decision means Uber will not be held liable for damages in this case.
Because this was the first Uber sexual assault lawsuit to reach a jury, the trial was considered an early test of how evidence and survivor testimony may be weighed in thousands of similar lawsuits still pending. Uber currently faces more than 2,500 sexual assault lawsuits filed in federal court, in addition to over 700 cases filed in California state court.
The lawsuits accuse Uber of putting profits ahead of safety by using inadequate background checks, offering poor driver training, and failing to implement common-sense safety measures such as in-car cameras or gender-based driver options.
The jury deliberated for 17 hours over three days before delivering the verdict. The panel split 8–3 on whether Uber’s negligence was a substantial contributing factor, with the majority siding with the company.
Uber argued that the driver passed a standard background check and held a 96% rider approval rating, saying it fulfilled its safety obligations. Plaintiffs’ attorneys countered that Uber should be held to the same “common carrier” standard as buses, trains, and airlines, which are required to exercise the highest degree of care for passenger safety. They argued that Uber fell short of this duty by failing to adopt stronger protections, including in-car cameras and stricter vetting.
Attorneys also expressed concern that the verdict could discourage survivors of assault from pursuing claims, since a finding of negligence without liability may feel like a hollow outcome.
Despite the setback, hope remains for survivors. The majority of Uber litigation is still pending in federal court, where the cases have been consolidated before U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer. The first federal trial is scheduled for January 7, involving a passenger, who alleges she was raped by an Uber driver in Arizona in 2023. Legal experts say that case, and others to follow, may revisit the same questions about Uber’s duty of care and could result in different outcomes for survivors.
Are You A Rideshare Passenger Survivor Of Sexual Abuse?
Do not despair about the outcome of Uber’s first sexual assault jury trial. Several more trials are likely to follow, and plaintiffs’ attorneys will have the opportunity to strengthen their arguments and better present survivors’ cases. If you are a survivor of Uber driver sexual assault, you still have rights and options. Learn more about the Uber Driver Sexual Assault litigation and see if your case qualifies for possible compensation below.
