LYFT AND UBER SEXUAL ASSAULT LAWSUIT
SEXUAL ABUSE
Rideshare services, like Lyft and Uber, have quickly become a popular means of transportation over the past several years. Both Lyft and Uber companies have been hailed for their ability to help passengers resist the urge to drink and drive, as they are known for being quick and easily accessible. Simply open your app, input your location, and a driver will arrive to you in a short time frame! Unfortunately, Lyft and Uber sexual assault lawsuit cases have been the source of much controversy in recent years.
Like most things in life, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Tragically, thousands of Americans have suffered from Lyft and Uber sexual assault either during or after their rides, with the vast majority of sexual assault reports coming from female passengers.
A good number of passengers have recently filed lawsuits against the popular rideshare companies, Lyft and Uber. And as a result, both companies have received public pressure to release reports regarding sexual assault data, as well as to implement immediate safety measures to better protect passengers.
If you were sexually assaulted during an Uber or Lyft ride, you may have grounds to seek financial compensation through a Lyft or Uber sexual assault lawsuit.
At Reich & Binstock, our Houston sexual assault lawyers have extensive experience litigating on behalf of sexual assault victims. By filing a claim in civil court, you may have an opportunity to be compensated for harm inflicted on you, as an innocent passenger. Our Houston sexual abuse attorneys will fight on your behalf to obtain the compensation you deserve.
Our law firm provides counsel for sexual assault victims across the United States.
Call us today at 713-622-7271 for your free consultation.
How Common Is It To Be Sexually Assaulted in an Uber or Lyft Ride?
Over the past five years or so, the two popular rideshare platforms, Lyft and Uber, have faced an alarming amount of new sexual assault lawsuits.
Both Lyft and Uber explain that their ride hailing services are, for the most part, extremely safe. According to initial reports, only 0.0002% of their ride services end in safety incidents, such car accidents, sexual assaults, or physical assaults. So, the vast majority of Lyft and Uber passengers do safely make it to their destinations without incident.
However, these “safety incidents” do still occur, and massive companies like Lyft and Uber do need to be held accountable for all car accidents, physical assault, and sexual assault reports.
These companies should also spread awareness, in good faith, but we’ve yet to see that. Which means that, sadly, we’re likely to see more of these incidents in the future.
Uber Safety Report
The popular ride hailing platform, Uber, prides itself on releasing safety information “proactively”, but this information was all but demanded from consumers across the United States, after thousands of passengers had alleged sexual abuse while using the company. As it stands, in 2023, Uber has released two actual reports: one for 2017-2018 and another for 2019-2020.
According Uber’s safety reports, the total number or sexual assault reports totals 3,824 in 2019-2020. This is down from the 5,981 reports in 2017-2018.
Lyft Safety Report
According to Lyft’s safety report, Lyft revealed the number of sexual assault reports in 2019 was 1,807.
Like Uber, a Lyft spokesperson did note that the number of reported sexual assaults could be far less, as riders may be too scared or embarrassed to submit a claim for sexual abuse.
Types of Sexual Assault in Uber and Lyft Rides
It’s a well-known fact amongst law enforcement agencies that sexual assaults are some of the most underreported crimes that occur in the United States. Many officials believe that more than 2 out of every 3 of those who have been sexually assaulted never report their allegations, either due to trauma, safety precautions, or other reasons.
This means that the data for Lyft or Uber drivers who have sexually assaulted a passenger is likely skewed, as well. While the companies would like for consumers to believe that the statistics are incredibly rare, the fact of the matter is: if they’re releasing any of this information, there is an issue within each company.
According to the safety reports from both Uber and Lyft, the most severe categories of sexual assaults include:
- Non consensual sexual penetration or rape
- Attempted non consensual sexual penetration or attempted rape
- Non consensual kissing of a sexual body part
- Non consensual kissing of a non sexual body part
- Non consensual touching of a sexual body part
Uber Sexual Assault Data
According to Uber’s sexual assault data within those five most severe categories, the following apply:
- Rape was reported in about 1 in 5,000,000 trips, or on approximately 0.00002% of trips.
- Attempted rape was reported in 1 in 7,000,000 completed trips.
- Non-consensual kissing of a sexual body part was reported in 1 in every 5,000,000 completed trips.
- Non-consensual touching of a sexual body part was reported in 1 in every 1,000,000
trips. - Non-consensual kissing of a non-sexual body part was reported in 1 in every 3,000,000 completed trips.
According to the company, the attempted rape safety incidents sector accounts for a wide range of sexual assault reports, including reports of attempted clothing removal and partial or fragmented reports due to memory loss.
Lyft Sexual Assault Data
According to Lyft’s sexual assault data within those five most severe categories, the following apply:
- Rape was reported 156 times, or on approximately 0.00002% of trips.
- Attempted rape was reported 114 times, or 0.00001% of trips.
- Non-consensual kissing of a sexual body part was reported 203 times.
- Non-consensual touching of a sexual body part was reported in 1014 times.
- Non-consensual kissing of a non-sexual body part was reported 293 times.
Can You Sue Uber or Lyft for Sexual Assaults?
Those who were assaulted by a Lyft driver or Uber driver may be able to seek financial compensation through an injury lawsuit if the following apply:
- You were sexually assaulted by an Uber driver or Lyft driver within the past 10 years,
- The assault occurred during the “ride hailing” process, while the Uber or Lyft drivers were acting in a work or official capacity, either before, during, or after you used the rideshare service.
The best way to know if you have a valid Uber or Lyft lawsuit is to speak with a reputable law firm immediately. At Reich & Binstock, all of our injury attorneys work on a contingency fee basis, so you won’t owe us anything unless you have a valid assault claim and that claim is successful.
We encourage all riders who were a victim of this horrible crime to come forward. Everything you tell us is confidential.
There are plenty of actionable issues that you could sue either company for, namely the lack of basic safety measures that both companies chose not to enact until they were both threatened with a class action lawsuit.
A few of these notable issues include:
- failure to perform background checks on drivers
- failure to investigate sexual assault allegations
- failure to follow up on sexual assault allegations
- inadequate safety measures
Uber Lawsuits
While Uber has faced it’s fair share of lawsuits, the most notable was a recent class action lawsuit against the business, representing 550 victims of sexual abuse, kidnapping, and other various attacks by Uber drivers, according to a USA Today report.
Additionally, Uber was fined for $59 million by a California regulator for withholding sexual assault data.
Amidst all of the chaos, Uber paid $9 million to improve their passenger safety measures, under the advisement of the California Public Utilities Commission and the Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network.
Lyft Lawsuits
Lyft has also been hit with several cases of sexual abuse lawsuits claiming that the company’s background checks are simply inadequate and that Lyft doesn’t have the proper safety features in place to protect passengers and employees, as well.
The most notable Lyft lawsuit was filed in San Francisco in 2019 by 19 women who all alleged they were victims of sexual abuse.
Plaintiffs stated in their lawsuit that the company had done nothing to prevent the attacks and once the attacks were reported, Lyft did nothing to remedy the situation.
Before the latest lawsuit, Lyft was hit with another similar sexual abuse lawsuit filed by 14 women.
Lyft agreed to a $25 million settlement in hopes of resolving consumer bad will for hiding safety incidents, namely sexual assaults, from consumers.
Other smaller lawsuits for both companies have also been filed.
Houston Uber & Lyft Sexual Assault Lawyers
Both ride hailing companies maintain that sexual assaults, abductions, etc. are extremely rare for their passengers. However, both companies have been hit with fines totaling tens, if not hundreds of millions of dollars for hiding information regarding these claims. If you wish to pursue a sexual assault lawsuit against one of these two companies, you’ll need a law firm with the resources to back you!
At Reich & Binstock, our sexual abuse lawyers are here to help. We have the experience, resources, and dedication required to take on large corporations, like Lyft and Uber. If you wish to pursue justice and seek compensation for your losses, call our office at 713-622-7271.
Our firm handles several sexual abuse case types, including the following.
There is never a fee unless we recover on your behalf.
