An Uber sign is seen on a car in Krakow, Poland, on October 12, 2025.
Jakub Porzycki | Null Photo | Getty Images
Uber On Thursday, a lawsuit in Arizona ordered the plaintiffs to pay $8.5 million. The case is the first of thousands of cases involving alleged sexual assault and misconduct by drivers on ride-sharing platforms.
In her lawsuit, Jaylin Dean claims she was raped by an Uber driver while returning to a hotel in November 2023.
The ruling, handed down in U.S. District Court in Phoenix, found that Uber had clear vicarious liability and laid the groundwork for about 3,000 similar cases across the country to be consolidated in federal court.
The jury found Uber not liable for negligence or design defects, and it was not ordered to pay punitive damages.
“This ruling confirms that Uber has acted responsibly and made meaningful investments in the safety of our passengers. We will continue to put safety at the center of everything we do,” an Uber spokesperson said in a statement to CNBC.
In a statement to CNBC, Sarah London, an attorney at Girard Sharp who represents Dean, called the ruling a “victory” for the plaintiffs and “vindicates the thousands of survivors who came forward at great risk to hold Uber accountable for putting profits above the safety of its passengers.”
The company plans to appeal this decision.
The ride-hailing company said it cannot be held responsible for the illegal actions of its drivers, who are classified as contractors on its platform.
Last year, the New York Times reported that Uber received more than 400,000 reports of sexual assault and misconduct between 2017 and 2022, far more than the company had publicly disclosed. Uber said in a report last August that serious sexual assaults on its platform had decreased by 44%.
Uber has taken steps to address the safety of its platform, implementing new features such as an in-app panic button and PIN authentication. In July, Uber began piloting a program in the U.S. that would allow female drivers and passengers to opt out of being paired with men.
Ride-sharing rivals lift He also faces lawsuits related to sexual assault and harassment.
