Federal Court Allows Consolidation of Uber Sexual Assault Lawsuits, Potentially Transforming Rideshare Industry

A judge has ruled that around 80 lawsuits against Uber, accusing the ride-hailing company of failing to protect passengers from sexual assault, can be joined in federal court. The ruling means that Judge Charles Breyer will handle all pretrial proceedings, including depositions and discovery. The victims claim that Uber could have made the app safer but chose not to, allegedly conducting incomplete background checks and failing to remove drivers accused of sexual assault. Uber's terms of service do not allow users to join a class-action lawsuit if they're sexually assaulted, leading to separate trials for each case. Between 2017 and 2020, Uber reported 9,805 sexual assaults of riders, including 852 rapes.