A federal jury in the United States ordered the transportation company Uber to pay $8.5 million in compensatory damages to a passenger who reported being sexually assaulted by a driver on the platform in Arizona.

The ruling sets an unprecedented precedent, as it is the This is the first time the company has been found civilly liable and ordered to compensate a victim for a sexual assault that occurred during a ride requested through its app. The ruling was issued in a Phoenix federal court after several days of deliberation by the nine-person jury, which concluded that Uber was liable on at least one of the charges presented in the lawsuit. Although the victim's lawyers sought a much larger award, the jury declined to impose additional punitive damages. The case was brought by Jaylynn Dean, an Oklahoma resident, who recounted that in November 2023 she was raped by an Uber driver while returning to her hotel in Tempe, Arizona, after consuming alcohol. According to her testimony, she was intoxicated and unable to give consent.

Key arguments during the trial

During the trial, Dean's lawyers argued that Uber promoted itself as a safe option for women, especially those who had consumed alcohol and needed a ride at night, even though the company itself had data showing that this group was the most vulnerable to sexual assault. They also argued that the company did not properly check the driver's criminal record, either in the United States or in his country of origin.

The defense also emphasized that, at the time of the assault, Uber did not offer options such as female drivers nor did it have audio or video recording systems during trips, measures that, according to the plaintiff, could have prevented the attack or provided immediate evidence.

For its part, Uber argued that it should not be held liable,Since the drivers who use the platform are independent contractors and not employees of the company, the court also maintained that the sexual encounter was consensual, even though the driver himself acknowledged that the passenger was too intoxicated to give consent.Following the incident, the company deactivated the driver for violating its internal rules, which prohibited any sexual contact during a trip. The verdict could have far-reaching legal repercussions. Uber is currently facing thousands of similar lawsuits in various states across the country. In California alone, more than 500 women have filed lawsuits against the company, while more than 3,000 cases related to alleged sexual assaults committed by drivers on the platform have been consolidated in federal courts.