$8.5M jury verdict awarded in Uber driver sexual assault trial
A federal jury in Arizona awarded $8.5 million on Thursday to a woman who claimed that she was raped by her Uber driver. (Photo from Shutterstock)
A federal jury in Arizona awarded $8.5 million on Thursday to a woman who claimed that she was raped by her Uber driver.
The verdict comes in the first federal bellwether trial in the multidistrict litigation against Uber Technologies Inc. over claims of sexual assault.
Plaintiff Jaylynn Dean alleged that her Uber driver raped her Nov. 15, 2023, while she was on a trip in Tempe, Arizona.
Uber’s lawyers said Hassan Turay, the driver, was a U.S. citizen who passed multiple background checks and was aware of Uber’s rules on sexual misconduct. He had received five-star ratings from riders, according to a story by Law.com.
“The jury rejected claims that Uber was negligent and that our safety systems were defective,” an Uber spokesperson wrote in a statement emailed to Law.com. “They awarded an amount far below what was sought and declined to award punitive damages altogether. This verdict affirms that Uber acted responsibly and has invested meaningfully in rider safety. We will continue to put safety at the heart of everything we do.”
There are about 2,000 lawsuits in federal courts against Uber over allegations that drivers sexually assaulted passengers, according to an earlier story by Law.com.
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