What Is Rideshare Sexual Assault?
Across New Jersey, from Jersey City and Newark to Princeton, Trenton, and the Shore communities, passengers depend on Uber and Lyft for daily transportation. That trust is violated when a driver uses their position to touch, pressure, or intimidate you in sexual ways.
Sexual assault during rideshare trips may include:
- A driver refusing to unlock doors until you answer personal questions or comply with requests;
- Unwanted physical contact disguised as "friendly" gestures;
- Watching you in the rearview mirror while making comments about your body;
- Driving to locations you didn't request or taking detours without explanation;
- Exposing themselves or touching themselves while driving; or
- Following you to your door or entering your home uninvited.
Sexual assault isn't defined by physical force. It's defined by the absence of consent and the misuse of power a driver holds over a passenger who trusted them.
When this happens, many survivors stay silent for a period of time. Fear of being blamed, shame that belongs to the perpetrator, reliance on rideshare for commuting or late-night travel, negative past experiences with law enforcement, or pressure from family and community can make coming forward feel impossible.
In New Jersey, where NJ Transit gaps leave many areas without late-night public transportation and where rideshare connects commuters to PATH trains, ferries, and NYC-bound buses, losing access to these services can feel like losing independence.
One survivor who worked with our firm shared:
"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.
You Have Options—A New Jersey Lyft Sexual Assault Lawyer Can Help
You decide when and how to address what happened. Reporting can remain confidential. You don't need to contact the police before speaking with a New Jersey Lyft sexual assault attorney. Legal options exist even if no criminal charges are filed. Support is available whenever you're ready.
The Scope of Rideshare Sexual Assault
While Uber and Lyft do not release state-specific assault data, national statistics reveal the scale of this crisis.
Uber's own Safety Report documented 2,717 incidents in the five most serious assault categories over a single year. These categories include non-consensual touching of sexual body parts, non-consensual kissing, attempted non-consensual penetration, and non-consensual penetration.
Lyft reported 2,651 incidents in these same categories over a two-year period ending in 2022.
These company-released numbers represent only what was formally reported through their platforms. Investigative reporting suggests the actual scope is far larger.
A 2025 study published in Violence Against Women, titled "Every Eight Minutes: The Crisis of Sexual Assault in Uber Rides," analyzed internal Uber data and found that between 2017 and 2022, Uber received a report of sexual assault or sexual misconduct in the United States approximately every eight minutes.
Over five years, that adds up to over 400,000 reports—numbers far exceeding what Uber had publicly disclosed.
How Uber and Lyft Have Failed Passengers
Both companies have faced mounting evidence that their safety practices fall short of protecting passengers.
Inadequate Background Screening
Uber and Lyft background checks miss criminal histories from other states, fail to verify driver identities, and approve applicants with records that should disqualify them from transporting passengers. Drivers with histories of violence and sexual offenses have been approved to work in New Jersey.
Complaints Dismissed or Ignored
Survivors who reported assaults to Uber or Lyft describe responses that felt dismissive and bureaucratic. In documented cases, drivers with multiple complaints against them remained active on platforms for months while the companies continued collecting fares from their rides.
Safety Features That Malfunction
Emergency buttons don't always connect to 911. GPS tracking records inaccurate locations. In-app reporting systems confuse survivors trying to get immediate help.
Profits Over Protection
Internal documents show both companies developed tools to identify high-risk rides years ago, but failed to implement adequate safeguards. Growth targets and revenue goals took priority over passenger safety.
A New Jersey bill aimed at preventing rideshare companies from using confidentiality agreements to silence customers reporting safety issues, including sexual assault, remains in committee as of late 2025.
The proposed measure would require rideshare companies to share information about sexual misconduct investigations and allow law enforcement to share relevant arrest records. Uber and Lyft have opposed similar measures in other states.
Questions about your legal rights in New Jersey? Wondering what options exist? Levin Simes provides free, confidential consultations where you can ask anything and share only what feels comfortable.
Message us or call (415) 426-3000 to speak with a New Jersey Uber sexual assault lawyer.
Your Rights in New Jersey After a Rideshare Assault
New Jersey law provides survivors with legal protections and an extended timeframe to pursue justice. These rights exist whether or not you report to the police or participate in criminal proceedings.
Civil Claims Operate Separately From Criminal Cases
You can file a civil lawsuit against the driver who assaulted you and against Uber or Lyft without a police report, without criminal charges, and without anyone else's permission. Civil cases give you autonomy over how you address what happened.
No Forced Arbitration
For years, Uber and Lyft used mandatory arbitration clauses buried in their terms of service to prevent survivors from filing public lawsuits. Following sustained advocacy, both companies ended this practice for sexual assault claims. New Jersey survivors can now pursue justice through the court system.
Extended Statute of Limitations
New Jersey law significantly extended the filing deadline for civil sexual assault cases, giving survivors time to process trauma before deciding on legal steps.
For survivors who were minors (under 18) at the time of assault:
- You have until your 55th birthday to file a civil lawsuit, OR
- Seven years from the date you discovered or reasonably should have discovered the connection between your injuries and the assault, whichever is later.
For survivors who were adults (18 or older) at the time of assault:
- You have seven years from the date of the offense to file, OR
- Seven years from the date you reasonably discover the injury and its connection to the assault, whichever is later
Institutional Accountability
New Jersey law also expanded liability to include institutions that knowingly permitted abuse or covered it up. This means rideshare companies can be held accountable for systemic failures that enabled assaults.
Can You Sue Uber or Lyft for Sexual Assault?
Yes. New Jersey survivors have the right to file civil lawsuits against both the driver who committed the assault and the rideshare company that enabled it.
Both Uber and Lyft face thousands of individual civil lawsuits in federal and state courts across the country, including cases filed in New Jersey. Survivors allege the companies were negligent in their safety practices, failed to conduct sufficient background checks, and did not implement appropriate safety precautions.
When a company fails to screen drivers properly, dismisses passenger complaints, or allows known dangers to persist, it can be held responsible for resulting assaults. This is called negligent hiring, supervision, and retention.
Compensation May Cover
Financial recovery in a rideshare sexual assault case may include:
- Counseling and therapy expenses
- Medical treatment costs
- Missed work and lost income
- Emotional suffering and lasting psychological impact
Many survivors say pursuing a claim helped them reclaim their power and pushed Uber and Lyft to acknowledge their failures. These cases also contribute to broader accountability efforts calling for better screening, stronger safety tools, and corporate responsibility.
National data confirms that survivors who work with experienced attorneys are far more likely to receive compensation than those who handle claims independently.
"It's not always easy to speak up after something like this. But every survivor deserves the chance to be taken seriously, to be supported, and to understand what options are available, without being rushed or dismissed."
— Laurel L. Simes, Founding Attorney
.avif)
.webp)
