Key facts
- Uber is facing thousands of lawsuits alleging sexual assault by its drivers.
- The company's legal strategy has been described as aggressive, reportedly questioning victims' actions.
- Federal juries have delivered multimillion-dollar verdicts against Uber in some sexual assault cases.
- A North Carolina judge ruled Uber is a common carrier, increasing its liability for driver actions.
- Thousands of federal cases are consolidated into a multidistrict litigation (MDL).
Uber is employing an aggressive legal strategy in response to thousands of lawsuits alleging sexual assault by its drivers, a tactic that has drawn scrutiny and contrasts with earlier promises to handle claims in a way that benefits survivors. While the company initially saw a favorable verdict in a California bellwether case, subsequent federal jury decisions in Arizona and North Carolina have gone against Uber, resulting in multimillion-dollar awards for plaintiffs.
In one federal test case in North Carolina, a judge ruled that Uber functions as a "common carrier" under state law, meaning the company cannot delegate liability to drivers and has a direct duty to ensure passenger safety. This ruling implies Uber can be held liable for driver assaults regardless of driver classification as independent contractors.
Thousands of federal assault cases against Uber have been consolidated into a multidistrict litigation (MDL) in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, with over 3,500 active cases as of July 2026. Two MDL trials have concluded, with victims awarded $8.5 million and $5,000 respectively. Plaintiffs' lawyers are increasingly holding Uber accountable for what they describe as inadequate background checks and ignored complaints, while Uber maintains it is a middleman and highlights its driver vetting processes and low incident rates.
Uber has stated its intention to appeal the adverse verdicts and has pointed out that the damages awarded are significantly lower than initially sought. However, these losses increase pressure on the company to settle and are being closely watched by competitors like Lyft, which also faces similar claims.