Uber Technologies Inc (NYSE:UBER) is to be sued by over 500 American women who claimed they were sexually assaulted by drivers working for the ride-hailing business.
Women have been “kidnapped, sexually assaulted, sexually battered, raped, falsely imprisoned, stalked, harassed or otherwise attacked,” according to a complaint filed by law firm Slater, Slater, Schulman.
Last month, the ride-hailing company released its second safety report, which indicated it had received 3,824 reports of the five most brutal categories of sexual assault in 2019 and 2020.
These included “non-consensual kissing of a nonsexual body part” to “non-consensual sexual penetration”.
Slater, Slater, Schulman insisted Uber has been aware of much of the sexual misconduct by some of its drivers, including rape, for roughly eight years.
Adam Slater, a partner of the law firm, has urged Uber to take imminent measures to protect the safety of riders, claiming its response to knowing about the sexual assault crisis has been “slow and inadequate, with horrific consequences.”
Uber could be “adding cameras to deter assaults, performing more robust background checks on drivers [and] creating a warning system when drivers don’t stay on a path to a destination,” Slater said.
The ride-hailer said it carries out extensive background checks of its drivers before they join the company, with regular inspections during their employment.
Uber has long claimed it cannot be held responsible for its drivers’ actions, who are considered contractors rather than employees.
In 2018, it settled a case brought by two women who alleged they were assaulted by drivers when intoxicated.