Khaberni - A federal jury in Phoenix ordered Uber on Thursday to pay $8.5 million after it concluded that it had legal responsibility following a lawsuit filed by a woman who said she had been sexually assaulted by a driver, a decision that might impact thousands of similar cases against the transportation company.
The case filed by the plaintiff, Jaylen Dean, was the first among more than three thousand similar lawsuits against Uber consolidated before a U.S. federal court.
Dean, who lives in Oklahoma, filed a lawsuit against Uber in 2023, a month after the alleged assault in Arizona. She stated that Uber was aware of a wave of sexual assaults committed by its drivers but failed to take the most basic measures to improve passenger safety.
Alexandra Walsh, Dean’s attorney, said during the closing arguments that Uber had promoted itself as a safe option for women traveling at night, especially if they had been drinking.
Uber says it should not be held responsible for the criminal behavior of drivers using its platform and considered the background checks it conducts adequate. The company insists that its drivers are independent contractors, not employees, and regardless of their classification, it cannot be held responsible for actions that occur outside what can be reasonably considered within their duties.
Kim Bueno, Uber’s lawyer, speaking about the driver during the closing arguments said, "He had no criminal record. Not anything,” pointing out that he had completed ten thousand trips through the app and received nearly perfect ratings from passengers. He went on to say, "So, could Uber have anticipated such behavior?... The answer to that must certainly be no."
In a statement before the trial, a spokesperson for Uber said that the company takes every report of sexual assault very seriously and continues to invest in new technologies to help prevent any harm.
