The Reality of Rideshare Assault in Miami
Miami-Dade County relies heavily on rideshare services. The sprawling metro area, tourist traffic flowing through Miami Beach and Downtown, and limited public transit options make Uber and Lyft essential transportation for millions of residents and visitors.
That dependency creates conditions where sexual assaults occur and survivors struggle to come forward.
National safety data reveals the scope of the problem. In the five most serious categories of sexual assault, including non-consensual touching, non-consensual kissing, attempted penetration, and completed penetration:
These numbers represent only formally reported incidents through company platforms. Investigative journalism reveals the actual figures are significantly higher.
Violence Against Women's 2025 article "Every Eight Minutes: The Crisis of Sexual Assault in Uber Rides" found that between 2017 and 2022, Uber received a sexual assault or misconduct report in the United States approximately every eight minutes.
That totals over 400,000 reports across five years, far exceeding what the company publicly disclosed.
Miami passengers are part of these statistics. The city's geography, nightlife districts, and constant tourist presence create environments where assaults happen and survivors face barriers to reporting.
Understanding What Happened to You
Sexual assault during rideshare trips takes forms that survivors don't always immediately identify. The experience may feel confusing because it doesn't match what you expected assault to look like.
Survivors in Miami have described Uber and Lyft drivers who:
- Locked doors and refused to stop until demands were met or inappropriate requests were fulfilled.
- Made unwanted comments about your appearance, dating life, relationship status, or where you live.
- Touched you without permission, including placing hands on your knee, thigh, shoulder, or back.
- Changed the route without explanation, took you to unfamiliar areas, or drove past your destination.
- Asked to come inside your home, hotel room, or apartment building.
- Sent messages through the app after the ride ended, sometimes requesting personal contact information or dates.
- Made sexual gestures or sounds during the trip, creating an intimidating or threatening environment.
- Followed or watched you after dropping you off, remaining outside your destination.
Sexual assault is not always about physical violence. It is about one person using power or position to violate another person's autonomy and safety. When a driver exploits their role to pressure, touch, or intimidate you, that conduct constitutes assault.
Your Next Steps After an Assault
The immediate aftermath of an assault leaves survivors feeling disoriented and unsure what steps to take. There is no single correct way to respond, but understanding your options can help.
- Prioritize your immediate safety. Get to a place where you feel secure, whether that means going home, staying with someone you trust, or going to a public location.
- Seek medical care if needed. Medical providers can address physical injuries, document what happened, and connect you with resources. You do not need to decide about reporting to access medical treatment.
- Preserve evidence if possible. This might include keeping the clothing you wore, saving text messages or app communications, taking screenshots of the ride details, and writing down what you remember about the driver and the assault. However, your well-being comes first. If preserving evidence feels overwhelming, focus on your safety and healing.
- Report through the app if you feel ready. Both Uber and Lyft have reporting features within their apps. Reporting creates a record with the company, though survivors should understand that company responses have historically been inconsistent and sometimes dismissive.
- Consider reporting to law enforcement. Filing a police report is your choice, not a requirement for pursuing legal action. Some survivors find reporting to police helpful. Others do not. A Miami Lyft sexual assault attorney can explain how this decision affects your options without pressuring you either way.
- Reach out for support. The Florida Council Against Sexual Violence operates a 24-hour helpline at 1-888-956-7273. Speaking with trained advocates can provide emotional support and information about local resources.
- Contact an attorney. Consulting with a Miami Uber sexual assault attorney does not commit you to filing a lawsuit. It simply gives you information about your legal rights and options. These consultations are confidential and free.
"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
How Uber and Lyft Failed Miami Passengers
While the driver who assaulted you bears direct responsibility, Uber and Lyft can be held liable for the failures that allowed the assault to happen.
- Inadequate background checks. Both companies use screening processes that miss criminal histories from other states, fail to verify driver identities thoroughly, and approve applicants with records that should disqualify them. Drivers with histories of violence and sexual offenses have been approved to transport passengers in Florida.
- Ignored complaints and warnings. Internal documents reveal that both companies received multiple complaints about certain drivers yet allowed them to remain active on their platforms for months. During that time, these drivers continued picking up passengers and, in some cases, assaulted additional people.
- Failed safety features. Emergency buttons that do not 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 passenger safety. 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.
Florida law allows survivors to pursue claims against both the driver and the companies whose negligence enabled the assault. A Miami Uber sexual assault lawyer can explain how corporate liability applies to your specific situation.
Not sure where to start? Have questions about what Florida law allows? Levin Simes offers free, confidential consultations. Contact us at (415) 426-3000 to connect with a Miami Lyft sexual assault attorney.
Florida Law Gives You Time and Options
Florida provides legal protections for survivors of sexual assault, including specific timelines and pathways for pursuing civil claims.
Statute of Limitations
Florida gives adult survivors four years from the date of the assault to file a civil lawsuit. For survivors who were minors at the time, the timeline extends. Generally, survivors have until age 28 or within seven years of discovering the injury was caused by abuse, whichever is later.
No Police Report Required
Civil lawsuits operate independently from the criminal justice system. You can file a claim against the driver who assaulted you and against Uber or Lyft without involving police and without criminal charges being filed.
Forced Arbitration No Longer Applies
For years, Uber and Lyft used mandatory arbitration clauses in their terms of service to prevent survivors from filing public lawsuits. Both companies ended this practice for sexual assault claims following sustained pressure from survivors and advocates.
Miami survivors can now pursue justice through Florida courts rather than private arbitration proceedings that favored the companies.
Confidentiality Protections
Florida law protects survivor identities in court filings. Your name can be kept out of public records through legal tools your attorney can implement.
What Recovery Looks Like
Financial compensation cannot undo what happened. It can provide resources for healing and hold the companies accountable for failures that enabled the assault.
Recovery in a rideshare sexual assault case may address:
- Counseling and therapy expenses for trauma-focused treatment, support groups, and mental health care needed to process what happened and work toward healing.
- Medical treatment costs including emergency room visits, follow-up care, medications, and any physical injuries resulting from the assault.
- Missed work and lost income when the trauma of the assault affects your ability to work, requiring time away from employment during recovery.
- Emotional suffering and psychological impact including anxiety, depression, PTSD, sleep disturbances, and the profound violation of trust that follows sexual assault.
- Punitive damages in cases involving particularly egregious conduct, designed to punish wrongdoers and deter similar corporate behavior.
Many survivors describe the legal process as providing a sense of control over what happens next. These cases also contribute to broader efforts demanding better screening, stronger safety features, and 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. One survivor shared:
A Law Firm Built on Survivor Advocacy
Levin Simes has served as lead counsel in the consolidated Uber and Lyft sexual assault cases, obtaining settlements for over 500 survivors nationwide. Our work has been covered by CNN, NPR, and The Guardian, bringing national attention to rideshare safety failures.
As a women-led firm with majority female leadership and staff, we built this practice on the belief that survivors should control their own cases. We understand trauma responses, honor your timeline, and never pressure you to take steps before you are ready.
- Confidentiality comes first. Legal tools exist to keep your name out of public filings, and we use them.
- Your pace, your decisions. Nothing moves without your approval. You decide what information to share, when to take steps, and how to proceed.
"So grateful for all the work that you, your staff, and your firm have done for me and other victims (survivors) in this situation. I will forever be grateful."
— C.R. Levin & Simes Client
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