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Sadly, not every sexual assault is reported, but hundreds of thousands of people have reported over the years that they were sexually assaulted or harassed during Uber rides (and to a lesser extent, Lyft). Granted, millions of people use a rideshare app daily, and Uber says 99.9 percent of its rides occurred without incident.
Between 2017 and 2020, Uber documented 9,805 instances of sexual assault. The New York Times however, reports that between 2017 and 2022, Uber received a report of sexual assault or sexual misconduct in the U.S. almost every eight minutes. The NYT did the math: 400,181 reports in five years, yet Uber had publicly disclosed 12, 552 incidents it deemed “serious”. So, how can this vast discrepancy be explained?
For a number of years, Uber and Lyft have implemented features to address safety and comfort issues on their platforms. The Feminist Majority Foundation notes that Uber’s data scientists and safety experts developed tools that could reduce assaults, such as installing mandatory in-car cameras, an algorithm that identified high-risk matches between riders and drivers matching women passengers with women drivers. (An Uber survey in 2015 found that about a fifth of its U.S. drivers were women, but drivers have been increasingly attacked by riders.) Many of these measures, however, were delayed, limited, or abandoned.
Background Checks
Background checks are essential for keeping passengers safe, and Uber claims that all of its drivers have passed a screening for violent crimes. But a New York Times investigation found that Uber’s system approves people in 22 states with a variety of criminal convictions, including violent felonies, child abuse, assault and stalking — if the convictions are at least seven years old. And Uber’s screenings in 35 states only provide background checks based on where the prospective driver resided in the past seven years, so a crime that happened somewhere else might not get flagged.
Uber’s head of safety for the Americas said a seven-year cutoff for felony convictions “strikes the right balance between protecting public safety and giving people with older criminal records a chance to work and rebuild their lives”, and “the likelihood that a person will commit another offense is as a low as a person who never committed a crime.” The U.S. Department of Justice states otherwise. In 2009, about two-thirds of convicted felons age 40 or older had at least one prior felony conviction, and compared to less than half in 1990.
Arrests don’t disqualify a driver either.
- In 2020, an Uber driver in San Diego was accused of a horrific sexual assault. His record included two felony convictions for assault with a deadly weapon and also in 2020, he had been arrested after an allegation of rape but not yet charged.
- In 2021, an Uber driver in Florida was accused of raping a 21-year-old passenger. He had eight felony convictions, including robbery with a firearm, and about a dozen driving violations.
- A Lyft driver in 2019 allegedly raped a California woman. He had multiple felony convictions from the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s, including for firing a shotgun at a vehicle while two people were inside. The woman sued Lyft and the case was settled.
The NYT explains that “Uber has limited the criteria used to vet potential drivers, part of a push to speed them onto the ride-hailing network while keeping costs down.” According to Uber’s internal document scrutinized by The Times, company executives considered and ultimately chose not to expand the types of offenses that would disqualify someone. In 2018, Uber’s head of safety communications said in an email: “We are def not doing everything we can.”
The Boston Globe in 2017 reported that officials in Massachusetts conducted their own background checks of ride-hailing drivers: more than 8,000 Uber and Lyft drivers were yanked off the road for failures ranging from license suspensions to violent crimes and sexual offense.
Uber and Lyft Lawsuits
Plaintiffs allege that Uber and Lyft failed to take reasonable steps to protect riders, including failing to:
- properly vet rideshare drivers,
- respond to passenger safety complaints,
- implement safeguards to prevent sexual misconduct.
As of January 2026, there are more than 3,000 assault lawsuits filed or pending against Uber alone.
There is currently no nationwide class action for these claims. Instead, many federal cases against Uber have been consolidated in a multidistrict litigation, In re: Uber Technologies, Inc., Passenger Sexual Assault Litigation (MDL No. 3084), in which plaintiffs allege Uber failed to implement appropriate safety precautions and that riders suffered sexual assault or harassment as a result. At the state level, Uber cases have also been coordinated in California courts, and Lyft has faced a growing number of lawsuits in California as well.
The first federal bellwether trial is set for Phoenix, Arizona. (Uber failed to get the trial postponed.) According to Reuters, plaintiff Jaylynn Dean says she was sexually assaulted by a driver she booked through the app and that Uber was aware of a wave of sexual assaults by drivers but failed to take basic actions to improve rider safety. The outcome could influence how both sides assess risk and settlement value across the larger docket.
Riders have sued Lyft, alleging it did not adequately vet drivers and did not respond appropriately to safety complaints—issues also raised when Massachusetts officials conducted their own checks (above).
Rideshare complaints include a number of physical and emotional injuries that have potentially been caused by a rideshare driver, and to a lesser degree, by riders assaulting drivers. Rideshare victims nationwide have reported a wide range of assault and harassment, including the following:
- Sexual assault
- Sexual harassment and sexual misconduct
- Physical attacks
- Kidnapping
- Stalking
The first Uber trial in 2026 is set in Phoenix, Arizona. According to Reuters, plaintiff Jaylynn Dean says she was sexually assaulted by a driver she booked through the app and that Uber was aware of a wave of sexual assaults committed by its drivers but had failed to take basic actions to improve the safety of its riders. This case is the first federal-court bellwether trial tied to thousands of similar claims consolidated in the Uber passenger sexual assault MDL, and that its outcome could shape settlement posture and strategy in the broader litigation.
In one of the first Uber sexual assault cases to reach a jury, Reuters reported that a California jury found Uber not liable, even while finding the company negligent—because jurors did not find Uber’s negligence was a “substantial factor” in causing the assault.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, and sexual assault in rideshare cases?
Sexual harassment can include unwanted sexual comments, propositions, threats, or persistent verbal behavior. Sexual misconduct may include non-consensual touching or other boundary-crossing behavior. Sexual assault generally refers to non-consensual sexual contact that can rise to the level of criminal conduct (definitions vary by state). In civil lawsuits, plaintiffs typically describe what happened in detail, and the legal labels often depend on state law and the evidence available.
Why aren’t these cases class actions?
Because the facts are individual: what happened, where it happened, the driver’s history, what the platform knew, what was reported, and how the company responded. Courts often treat these claims as better suited to individual lawsuits, even when many cases share similar allegations. That’s why cases are frequently coordinated through multidistrict litigation (MDL) rather than handled as one class action.
What is an MDL and why does it matter here?
An MDL (multidistrict litigation) consolidates many similar federal cases in one court for coordinated pretrial proceedings—things like evidence gathering, expert testimony fights, and rulings on common issues. It can speed up the process and reduce duplication, while still allowing each plaintiff’s case to remain individual.
If a rider reports sexual assault, what happens next?
Typically, the rider can report the incident through the app and may be contacted for additional details. Separately, victims may choose to report to law enforcement, seek medical care, and preserve evidence. In civil litigation, attorneys often focus on what the platform did before the incident (screening and policies) and after it (response to complaints, deactivation decisions, and documentation).
Do background checks catch everything?
Not always. Background checks depend on what records are available, how far back the check goes, and whether the search is nationwide or tied to certain jurisdictions. Some checks also don’t treat arrests the same as convictions, and practices can vary by state and over time.
What damages are plaintiffs seeking in rideshare assault lawsuits?
Claims commonly seek compensation for medical costs, therapy, lost income, pain and suffering, and emotional distress. Some cases also request punitive damages, depending on state law and what plaintiffs allege about the company’s conduct.
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Published on Jan-19-26
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