Indianapolis Uber & Lyft Sexual Assault Lawyer

500+ Survivors Represented Nationwide

Pursuing a claim against Uber or Lyft differs substantially from a standard personal injury case. These rideshare companies employ teams of lawyers and have spent years developing strategies to minimize their responsibility when drivers assault passengers.​

Levin Simes has served as lead counsel in the consolidated Uber and Lyft sexual assault cases, obtaining settlements for over 500 survivors nationwide, including here in Indianapolis. Our work has been covered by CNN, NPR, and The Guardian, bringing national attention to rideshare safety failures.​

Effective representation requires understanding how these platforms operate, what internal safety data they possess, and where their policies have failed. Our firm has obtained and analyzed internal company documents through litigation, revealing patterns of negligence that strengthen survivor claims.

Rideshare Assault Happens Across Indianapolis

Central Indiana's urban layout makes rideshare services essential. The metropolitan area spans over 400 square miles, with entertainment venues, residential neighborhoods, and employment centers spread across Marion County and surrounding suburbs.​

IndyGo's bus system serves many areas, but gaps in coverage and limited late-night service mean residents frequently turn to Uber and Lyft. Whether heading to Mass Ave for dinner, returning from Broad Ripple after a night out, catching an early flight from IND, or leaving a concert at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis residents depend on rideshare apps millions of times each year.

This reliance creates opportunity for predatory drivers. A passenger requesting a ride late at night, possibly after drinking, traveling alone to a home address. These circumstances give dangerous individuals access to vulnerable people.

National safety data reveals the scope of the problem:

• Uber's safety reports documented 2,717 sexual assaults in the most serious categories in a single year.
• Lyft recorded 2,651 incidents over a two-year period.
• These numbers represent only incidents formally reported through company channels.
• Investigative journalism from Violence Against Women found that between 2017 and 2022, Uber received a sexual assault or misconduct report approximately every eight minutes, totaling over 400,000 reports across five years.

Indianapolis is not immune. The city's sprawling geography, the concentration of nightlife in specific districts, and the steady flow of visitors for conventions, sporting events, and the Indy 500 create conditions that lead to frequent assaults.

What Happened to You Was Wrong

Many survivors question whether what happened qualifies as assault. Drivers may use subtle manipulation or gradually escalating behavior, leaving passengers confused about where the boundaries were crossed.

Sexual assault encompasses any non-consensual sexual contact or conduct. In the rideshare context, this includes drivers who:​

• Make unwanted physical contact, including touching your leg, shoulder, hair, or face;
• Engage in indecent exposure or masturbation while driving;
• Verbally pressure passengers for sexual favors;
• Refuse to end rides or unlock doors to coerce compliance;
• Contact passengers through the app for sexual purposes after rides conclude;
• Deviate from routes to isolate passengers;
• Make explicit sexual comments or ask invasive questions about your body, relationships, or sexual history; or
• Watch you through the rearview mirror in a way that feels violating.

You do not need visible injuries or physical evidence to have experienced assault. The violation of your bodily autonomy is real, regardless of how the driver's conduct might appear to others.

Some survivors describe experiences that escalated gradually. A driver who began with inappropriate comments, then moved to unwanted touches, creating confusion about exactly when the line was crossed. Others experienced sudden, violent assaults with no warning. Both experiences constitute assault. Both create grounds for legal action.

"We understand how painful this experience is. Our priority is to offer compassionate guidance and make sure you have the space to focus on your well-being."​

— Laurel L. Simes, Founding Attorney

​An Indianapolis Lyft Sexual Assault Lawyer Can Help You Come Forward

Taking action after an assault involves deeply personal decisions. Some survivors report immediately; others need months or years before they feel ready. There is no wrong timeline.​

If you choose to pursue a legal claim, certain steps can strengthen your case:

• Document what you remember, including the driver's name, vehicle details, route taken, and specific conduct.
• Take screenshots of your ride history and any communications from the driver.
• Keep records of medical treatment, therapy appointments, and any expenses related to the assault.
• Save the clothing you wore, if possible, without washing it.
• Write down what happened while the details are fresh, even if you are not ready to share them with anyone yet.

Reporting to law enforcement remains optional. Civil lawsuits operate independently from criminal prosecution, meaning you can hold the driver and company financially accountable without police involvement. An Indianapolis Lyft sexual assault attorney can help you understand both paths.

Many survivors describe the legal process as providing a sense of control after an experience that felt out of their control. Beyond individual recovery, these cases contribute to broader efforts demanding better driver screening, stronger safety features, and genuine corporate accountability from rideshare companies.​

Research confirms that survivors who work with experienced attorneys receive compensation at significantly higher rates than those who handle claims independently.

Taking the first step can be the hardest part. When you're ready, an Indianapolis Lyft sexual assault lawyer at Levin Simes is here to listen. Call (415) 426-3000 or contact us online.

How Uber and Lyft Failed You

Rideshare companies have known about driver sexual assault for years. Internal safety reports document thousands of incidents annually. Despite this knowledge, both Uber and Lyft have resisted implementing stronger protections.​

Their failures span multiple areas:

​Inadequate Background Checks

The screening systems these companies use have approved drivers with violent criminal histories, sex offense convictions in other states, and falsified identities. Drivers who should never have been behind the wheel passed through their vetting process. 

Unlike taxi companies and other transportation services, Uber and Lyft do not require fingerprint-based background checks, which are far more reliable at catching criminal histories.

Ignored Complaints and Warning Signs

Both companies receive reports about driver behavior and frequently allow those drivers to continue operating. Patterns of concerning conduct often precede serious assaults. 

Internal documents reveal that some drivers accumulated multiple complaints yet remained active on the platform for months, during which time they assaulted additional passengers.

Broken Safety Features

Emergency buttons that fail to connect properly to 911. GPS tracking that records inaccurate locations. In-app reporting systems that confuse survivors seeking immediate help. These marketed safety features have not functioned as promised.

Profit Over Protection

Court documents show that both Uber and Lyft developed technology to identify high-risk rides years ago but chose not to implement adequate protections. Growth targets and revenue goals took priority over passenger safety. 

Both companies have fought legislation that would require stronger driver vetting and resisted calls for independent safety oversight.

When companies ignore warning signs and prioritize expansion over protection, they share responsibility for what follows. Indiana law allows survivors to pursue claims against both the driver and the companies whose negligence enabled the assault.

Indiana Law Gives You Time and Options

Indiana law provides avenues for survivors to seek compensation, though important deadlines apply.

Statute of Limitations

Adult survivors generally have two years from the assault date to file civil claims. This timeline is shorter than many other states, making prompt consultation with an Indianapolis Lyft sexual assault attorney advisable. 

For those assaulted as minors, Indiana extends the filing period to seven years from the abuse date, or four years after ending dependency on the abuser, whichever provides more time.

No Police Report Required

Civil claims do not require criminal charges or convictions. The burden of proof in civil court differs from criminal court, meaning cases that prosecutors decline can still succeed as civil lawsuits.

The End of Forced Arbitration

For years, Uber and Lyft required sexual assault claims to proceed through private arbitration, a process that favored corporate defendants and kept outcomes confidential. Following sustained advocacy by survivors and their attorneys, both companies eliminated mandatory arbitration for sexual assault claims. 

Indianapolis survivors can now pursue cases in Indiana courts, where proceedings create public records and verdicts can influence company behavior.​

This change matters. Arbitration kept assault patterns hidden from public view, preventing potential passengers from understanding the risks they faced. Court proceedings create accountability through transparency.

What Recovery Can Provide

Compensation in rideshare sexual assault cases serves multiple purposes. Financial recovery addresses the tangible costs survivors face:

• Therapy and counseling expenses that often continue for years;
• Medical treatment for physical injuries;
• Income lost during recovery; and
• Economic impact of trauma on career and earning capacity.

But these cases are about more than money. Noneconomic damages acknowledge the profound personal toll of assault: anxiety, depression, PTSD, sleep disturbances, relationship difficulties, and the fundamental violation of trust that survivors experience.

Putting a dollar figure on suffering can never fully capture its weight, but it represents recognition that real wrongdoing occurred and that those responsible must answer for it.

Punitive damages, available in cases involving particularly egregious conduct, serve another purpose: punishment and deterrence. When corporations make calculated decisions to prioritize profits over passenger safety, punitive awards send a message that such choices carry consequences.

Why Choose Levin Simes?

Our process centers on survivor wellbeing throughout the legal journey. We recognize that pursuing a claim requires revisiting traumatic experiences, and we structure our representation to minimize additional distress while maximizing the strength of the case.

Initial consultations are always free and confidential. We listen to your experience, explain options clearly, and answer questions without pressure. We work on a contingency basis, meaning you pay nothing unless we recover compensation.​

Throughout your case, you control the pace and make key decisions. We handle communications with opposing counsel, gather evidence, and manage procedural requirements.

Confidentiality protections under Indiana law can shield your identity from public court filings.

As a women-led firm with majority female leadership and staff, we built this practice understanding how trauma affects survivors and how the legal system can sometimes compound that trauma. We work deliberately to ensure our process supports healing rather than hindering it. 

"So grateful for all the work that you, your firm, and your staff have done for me and other victims (survivors) in this situation. I will forever be grateful." 

— C.R., Levin Simes Client.