DOJ sues Uber for discriminating against disabled passengers
The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a federal lawsuit against Uber, accusing the company of systematically discriminating against disabled passengers.
Cheddar
CHICAGO — Uber says California ju umpire is not responsible for the sexual assault of a woman on September 30 who said she was attacked by a driver on a ride she ordered from the app, according to the plaintiff’s lawyer.
At the end of a three-week civil trial in San Francisco Superior Court, the ju judge rejected the woman’s argument that Uber was blamed for her attack.
The case was the first to go to trial from more than 500 cases consolidated in California courts. There are also more than 2,500 cases making similar allegations centralised in federal courts in California.
The woman who attended Jessica C in court sued in 2021, claiming she was assaulted by an Uber driver in 2016. During the ride, her driver pulled away on the side roads, restrained, groped and kissed.
Her case was chosen to serve as the first “original” of state court cases. In cases with many plaintiffs who have similar claims, they use pioneer trials to test claims and establish what they are worth. The judge can use the outcome of the trial to manage the remaining cases. Alternatively, the attorney can use them to notify you of the settlement negotiations.
The female lawyer had sought compensatory damages from the ju apprentice of $175,000 to $1.2 million each year of her life. They did not propose a number of punitive damages.
Spotlight safety practices
The lawsuit alleges that Uber was aware that the driver was attacking riders, but it maintained data on the number of attacks that occurred from the public and failed to take steps to address the issue.
The plaintiffs argued that although they knew that Uber would reduce attacks, including assigning female riders to female drivers and requesting dash cams to record driver-passenger interactions, they could not implement such a program widely.
Uber argues that background checks and disclosures about assault should not be liable for criminal activity by drivers connecting with passengers.
The lawsuit threatens to resume wounds from Uber’s early days when the company is hit by safety controversy, claims for LAX driver reviews, and growth that is prioritized over protecting passengers.
With its potentially costing hundreds of millions of dollars, the results have complicated relationships with regulators and investors who weighed Uber’s balance sheets and closely tracked their safety records.
The company has been focusing on safety in recent years, releasing a US safety report that details have reported that they have reported sexual assaults, verifying ride comfort within the app, riding video and audio recordings, anomaly detection, and partnering with Survivor Advocacy Group.
Uber has also promoted the creation of a Safety Advisory Committee, chaired by former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, Jeh Johnson, and pledged $10 million through its “Drive Change” initiative to support organizations working to end gender-based violence.
Despite these measures, Uber’s safety reputation remains vulnerable. Uber, which covers the 2021-2022 period in its latest safety report released last year, said that since its first report in 2017-2018, reports of serious sexual assaults against the platform have fallen by 44%. However, with thousands of cases still documented, critics say there is still systematic risk.
The U.S. House subcommittee, urged by the New York Times’ August report on the issue, wrote to Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi last week for information on the company’s protocols to prevent sexual assault on rides.
If you or you have experienced sexual violence, Rainn’s National Sexual Assault Hotline provides free, secret, 24/7 support to survivors and their loved ones in English and Spanish: 800.656.hope (4673) and hotline.rainn.org and enespañolainn.org/es.
(Reporting by Diana Novak Jones of Chicago and Akash Sriram of Bangalore, edited by Alexia Garamfalvi and Bill Belcrot)
