Overview

• The verdict followed a three-week trial in San Francisco Superior Court that rejected the plaintiff’s effort to hold Uber responsible for her 2016 assault.
• According to the plaintiff’s attorney, jurors found Uber negligent on safety measures but concluded that negligence was not a substantial cause of the harm.
• This was the first bellwether case from more than 500 consolidated state lawsuits, alongside over 2,500 similar cases grouped in a California federal court.
• The plaintiff, identified at trial as Jessica C., alleged her driver pulled off a side street to restrain, grope, and kiss her, and her legal team sought substantial compensatory damages without naming a punitive figure.
• Uber cites background checks, safety reports, and in-app tools such as ride verification and audio or video recording as safeguards, while a House subcommittee recently sought details on its assault prevention protocols following investigative reporting.