Uber Sued By Alleged Sexual Assault Victims
BOSTON (CBS) – Two women who claim they were sexually assaulted by Uber drivers, one in Boston, are suing the company and accusing Uber of failing to protect its riders.
A Connecticut resident identified only as Jane Doe 1 and a Florida woman listed as Jane Doe 2 filed suit in a California courthouse on Thursday. Uber is based in San Francisco.
Read: Complete Uber Lawsuit
Both women were allegedly sexually assaulted by Uber drivers. Boston Police arrested Uber driver Abderrahim Dakiri and charged him with assaulting Jane Doe 1 on February 7.
Police charged Patrick Aiello with assaulting Jane Doe 2 in Charleston, S.C., on August 9.
"Uber's claims of rider safety have proven to be false and hollow. Investigations into its safety measures reveal that Uber routinely fails to adequately screen its employees and regularly hires drivers with known criminal histories, at the expense of its customers who are placed squarely in danger," the lawsuit reads.
The company responded with a statement defending its actions.
"We proactively worked with law enforcement in Massachusetts and South Carolina at the time to share information and aid their investigations," the statement said. "Both drivers have been permanently removed from the platform."
Uber also noted that Dakiri passed two separate background checks.
But the women claim several recent incidents similar to their cases indicate "systemic deficiencies regarding Uber's safety measures concerning drivers."
In addition to financial damages, the women ask for injunctive relief ordering Uber to affirmatively overhaul its "woefully inadequate safety measures."
Among other requests, the lawsuit asks for Uber to be forced to install 24/7 customer support centers in cities it operates, GPS tracking systems in cars, in-person screening interviews of drivers, video cameras in cars, more in-depth background checks and the option for passengers to request a female driver.
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh told WBZ-TV that he has not read the lawsuit, though he added that the city continues its efforts to create regulations for ride-sharing companies.
"Our intention here in Boston is to put some regulations on it and do some background checks and do some safety checks," said Walsh. "It certainly is consistent with what's being said (in the lawsuit) and it's something we want to do here in the city and focus on in Boston as far as getting regulations."
