Federal jury orders Uber to pay $8.5 million in sexual assault case

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — A federal jury ordered Uber to pay $8.5 million after finding the tech giant liable on one of three claims in a lawsuit centered around a sexual assault.

The bellwether case was brought by plaintiff Jaylynn Dean, who said she was raped by her Uber driver in November 2023. The verdict could influence thousands of similar cases against Uber.

Jurors found Uber not liable on two other counts.

In closing arguments, Dean’s attorneys argued that Uber marketed itself as a safe place for intoxicated women at night, despite the company’s own data showing that demographic was actually most at risk of sexual assault.

They also argued the app didn’t require audio or video recording during rides or have a women-preferred driver option at the time of the attack

Uber’s attorneys argued the company should not be held liable because its drivers are independent contractors rather than employees and that they do extensive background checks.

Uber said it has invested more than $1.3 billion in safety efforts and pointed to internal systems like its Safety Risk Assessed Dispatch program, which it says has reduced incidents overall.

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