US jury holds Uber liable in sexual assault case, awards $8.5m in damages

A US jury has ordered ride-hailing firm Uber to pay $8.5m (₹77.91 crore) in compensation to a woman who said she was raped by a driver using the company’s platform, in a ruling that could shape the outcome of thousands of similar cases against the firm, as per reports.

The federal lawsuit was heard in Arizona, where jurors deliberated for two days before concluding that Uber was responsible for the driver’s actions. The company has said it intends to appeal against the verdict.

As per reports, while the jury held Uber liable under the “apparent agency” doctrine — which allows a company to be held responsible for the actions of individuals working on its behalf — it rejected other claims brought by the plaintiff, including allegations that Uber was negligent or that its safety systems were defective.

The woman, Jaylynn Dean, told the court she was sexually assaulted in 2023 while travelling in an Uber to her hotel. She argued that Uber was aware of a pattern of sexual assaults involving drivers on its platform but failed to take basic steps to improve passenger safety.

As a result of the ruling, the jury awarded Dean $8.5m in compensatory damages but declined to grant more than $144m in punitive damages that had been sought against the company.

A lead lawyer for Dean said the decision “validates the thousands of survivors who have come forward at great personal risk”. Attorney Sarah London added that justice would ultimately depend on the outcome of ongoing litigation and whether “meaningful safety reforms are implemented to protect passengers going forward”.

As per reports, Dean’s case is among the first of 20 so-called “bellwether” trials against Uber. These cases are intended to test legal arguments and evidence, and are expected to influence rulings in around 2,500 other federal lawsuits in which plaintiffs have made similar allegations against the company.

Another of Dean’s lawyers, Alexandra Walsh, told the court that Uber had marketed itself as a safe transport option for women travelling alone at night.

“Women know it’s a dangerous world. We know about the risk of sexual assault,” Walsh told local media. “They made us believe that this was a place that was safe from that.”

Uber argued that it should not be held liable for criminal acts committed by drivers, whom it classifies as independent contractors. The company said its drivers are subject to background checks and that the incident was not foreseeable, as the driver involved had no criminal record and had received strong passenger ratings.

In a statement, an Uber spokesperson said the jury had rejected claims that the company was negligent or that its safety systems were flawed.

“They awarded an amount far below what was sought, and declined to award punitive damages altogether,” the spokesperson said. “This verdict affirms that Uber acted responsibly and has invested meaningfully in rider safety.”

The spokesperson also noted that in a previous case, in which a woman alleged her Uber driver groped and kissed her, the company was not found liable for the assault.