550 Women Vs. Uber

One of the more significant lawsuits against Uber was a case filed at the San Francisco County Superior Court. The complaint filed said it represented 550 women – alleged that the sexual assaults occurred across the U.S.

“Sexual assault is a horrific crime, and we take every single report seriously,” an Uber spokesperson told the BBC.

“There is nothing more important than safety, which is why Uber has built new safety features, established survivor-centric policies, and been more transparent about serious incidents. While we can’t comment on pending litigation, we will keep safety at the heart of our work,” they added.

Uber And 998 Sexual Assault Incidents

Uber released its second U.S. Safety Report in 2020, which revealed 998 sexual assault incidents, including 141 rape reports. Uber received 3,824 reports of sexual assault between 2019 and 2020. Nearly 6,000 sexual assault reports were found in Uber’s first safety report, which details incidents from 2017 to 2018.

The lawsuit against the company claims that Uber has intentionally concealed the fact that Uber drivers had been regularly sexually assaulting women since at least 2014 and instead represented that Uber was “a safe mode of transportation.” Uber has become a platform for sexual predators to find and assault women without conducting proper background checks on drivers or providing sufficient safety measures for riders. Uber is also accused of profiting financially from rides where women were sexually assaulted.

It also said that at least 150 potential cases are being “actively investigated.”

Uber And Other Allegations

However, an Uber spokesperson told the BBC that the company had recently served just 12 cases against it despite all the allegations by patrons of the ride-share service. The reason for this is that Uber’s top brass have worked extensively to cover traces of negligence by lobbying top ministers at undeclared meetings and with the help of top politicians.

The lawsuit also alleges that Uber became aware as early as 2014 that its drivers were sexually assaulting and raping female passengers. The most severe categories of sexual assault committed by Uber range from non-consensual kisses to non-consensual sexual penetration or rape. Allegations of this nature are serious.

Moreover, the lawsuit may provide more evidence of Uber’s toxic culture, which makes it even more damaging for the company. A former Uber executive has made multiple allegations of malpractice. Among the evidence he leaked was Uber’s “kill switch,” which could be turned on by law enforcement if it came knocking.

A theme emerged from the leaked documents: Uber prioritized growth over anything else.

This lawsuit claims Uber intentionally concealed evidence that its drivers had sexually assaulted women. Essentially, Uber pretends its rides are safe when it knows they are not. Also, the lawsuit claims the company did not properly check its drivers’ backgrounds.

According to Uber, the company has changed lately and regrets its past behavior. In spite of this, investors are concerned that people will start looking elsewhere for their next ride due to all the bad press.

$100 Million Lawsuit – Contractor Model at Uber

Three drivers filed a lawsuit against Uber in federal court in San Francisco, contending they should be classified as employees, not independent contractors.

This case was later turned into a class-action lawsuit that aimed to establish Uber drivers as employees, entitled to expenses, gas, and vehicle maintenance.

The contractor model is a key reason for Uber’s success, not the least because if its drivers were considered employees, they would be liable for social security, unemployment insurance, and workers’ compensation.

Uber settled the lawsuit for $100m on 21 April. Although its drivers will remain independent contractors, they will have some changes to their working conditions, including the ability to solicit tips and the prohibition of terminating them without notice.

$28.5 Million Lawsuit – Class-action Safety Concern

Uber settled two class-action lawsuits that raised similar safety concerns for $28.5m in February 2016.

Riders were also awarded a tiny cut of the settlement (less than $1 each) in response to complaints Uber misled consumers with safety claims.

A number of high-profile PR nightmares have surrounded Uber over safety concerns, including stories about the rape of a passenger in India and a recent shooting spree by a driver in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

$25 Million Lawsuit – False Safety Claim

As part of its latest California settlement, Uber changed its marketing language and said it wouldn’t refer to itself as the “safest ride on the road” nor its drivers’ background checks as “the gold standard.” It will also rename its $1 “safe ride fee” to “booking fee.”

According to San Francisco and Los Angeles prosecutors, Uber’s background checks were inferior to the background checks taxi drivers undergo since Uber does not include fingerprint screenings.

On April 7, 2016, a San Francisco judge approved a settlement in which Uber agreed to pay at least $10 million, but if it fails to comply, it will have to pay an additional $15 million.

$7 Million Lawsuit – Non-Compliance With Data Reporting Requirements

In January 2016, Uber agreed to pay more than $7 million to the California Public Utilities Commission, an agency that regulates transportation companies. The agency alleged that the startup had failed to comply with data reporting requirements. Uber appealed the decision but agreed to pay the fine so that its license to operate would not be suspended.

The commission accused Uber of failing to report operational data, including statistics on customers who requested vehicles that can accommodate the disabled. They also failed to report the statistics for the causes of Uber driving accidents.

$1.55 Million Lawsuit – Motorcycle Vs. Rideshare Injury

The client suffered spinal and wrist injuries in a motorcycle accident with a rideshare company in 2021. This was the largest motorcycle settlement in Tulare County in 2021.

$1.3 Million Lawsuit – Illegal Fare Collection In France: $1.3m

A French court ordered Uber to pay $1.3m to a rival taxi group in January 2016 after a complaint that drivers were violating the rules. Drivers for Uber were illegally collecting fares while waiting in the streets – a practice that is only permitted for taxi drivers who pay for a license.

$78,000 Lawsuit – Misclassification Of Employees

In 2015, Uber paid $77,925 to the state of Alaska after being accused of misclassifying drivers as independent contractors instead of employees.

State labor officials alleged that Uber avoided paying unemployment insurance, taxes, and worker’s compensation premiums by incorrectly classifying its drivers. After six months of operation, Uber ceased operations in Anchorage when it could not reach an agreement with the local government.

$20,000 Lawsuit – Unauthorized Access To Driver’s Personal Information

Following Uber’s 14-month investigation into its privacy practices and its use of the “God View” tool for tracking riders, the New York attorney general fined the company $20,000 in New York.

Uber was fined for failing to report unauthorized third-party access to drivers’ personal information after a data breach and was required to encrypt rider geo-location information.

$15,000 Lawsuit – Uber Driver’s Unpaid Wages & Unauthorized Deductions

Hephzibah Dollar, a California Uber driver who claimed to be living out of her car, filed a complaint with the state labor commissioner in 2015. The company allegedly owes her more than $15,000 for unauthorized deductions and reimbursable expenses related to her driving time.

In the end, Uber settled the case but disagreed with the woman’s allegations.

Undisclosed Amount – Wrongful Death Lawsuit

A wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of Sofia Liu, a six-year-old girl killed by an Uber driver on New Year’s Eve in 2013, was settled by Uber in 2015 for an undisclosed sum.

In the wake of Liu’s death, Uber claimed Muzzafar was “not providing services on the Uber system” during the crash because he had no passengers. Ultimately, California lawmakers passed a law that requires ride-share drivers and companies to have liability insurance when using the app, including when searching for fares.

Undisclosed Amount – Uber Fare Surge Pricing

Travis Kalanick, Uber’s chief executive, lost an antitrust lawsuit accusing him of conspiring to drive up prices for passengers when a district judge in New York denied dismissal of the case. Uber’s algorithm for setting fares is challenged by Spencer Meyer, who alleges it drives out competitors by fixing prices this way.

Uber’s practice of “surge pricing,” which increases rates during peak demand periods, is the subject of the complaint.

Undisclosed Amount – Yellow Cab Driver Rights Infringement

A lawsuit filed in November 2015 by taxi owners in New York City claims that Uber has destroyed their businesses and threatened their livelihoods.

By allowing Uber drivers to pick up passengers via the phone app, the city allegedly infringed upon the exclusive right of yellow cab drivers to pick up passengers on the street.

Undisclosed Amount – Sexual Assault Lawsuit

According to the lawsuit, Uber targets its marketing toward drunk women but fails to protect them by regularly hiring people with criminal histories and inadequately screening drivers. The lawsuit was filed against Uber over two alleged sexual assaults.

Total so far: $161.913 Million

It is possible that many more will come forward with their allegations in the future.