April 2, 2019: Levin Simes Abrams partner Rachel Abrams and attorney Meghan McCormick are featured in the latest ABC 7 news regarding sexual assault from Uber and Lyft drivers. Lyft just went public after an IPO.
See the video:
Uber and Lyft’s negligent hiring practices and incomplete background checks on drivers have created opportunity for sexual and/or physical assault on passengers.
Uber settled a lawsuit filed by the District Attorneys of Los Angeles and San Francisco in 2015 for $25 million, for what the government asserted was false and misleading statements regarding safety. They are now adding features such as in-app 911 to try and turn around a lax safety history. A CNN report identified hundreds of instances in the United States of assault, battery, or sexual assault during rideshares.
Lyft and Uber removed mandatory arbitration for survivors of sexual assault by a rideshare driver. Previously the firms used terms of service agreements to force women out of the court system. Women now have the option to sue Uber or Lyft in court.
Uber’s Chief Legal Officer Tony West wrote they “will no longer require mandatory arbitration for individual claims of sexual assault or sexual harassment by Uber riders, drivers or employees.” Lyft then followed with a similar matching announcement.
Levin Simes Abrams represents survivors of rideshare assault, including some of the survivors in the ABC 7 news story. If you need a free and confidential legal consultation, contact our sexual assault lawyers at 1-888-426-4156, or email [email protected] to set up a time for a call.
