Uber facing lawsuit after sexual assault victims claim company doesn't have proper safety checks

HOUSTON - More than 20 sex assault victims across the country are suing Uber, accusing the rideshare company of failing to implement proper safety checks against their drivers. The victims and their attorneys are now attempting to consolidate all the pending lawsuits into a multidistrict litigation petition. 

A federal hearing is set for Sept., 28 in Kentucky.

Attorney Bret Stanley with Houston-based firm Kherkher Garcia, LLP is part of the national legal committee suing Uber.

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The lawsuits claim that there have been more than 9,800 sex assaults against riders in the last four years, including his client, Katie Espinosa. 

Katie was in the backseat of an Uber ride and she dozed off for a time and awoke with a driver groping her breast.

"Reports show that at least 10,000 victims have reported sexual assault or sexual misconduct on the Uber platform. We do think that that's an underreport because statistics show that only around 20% of sexual assaults are actually reported," Stanley said.

"Uber has had a billion rides year over year on their system. That means that Uber is pairing 1 billion people to riders and drivers every year. With that comes a duty to make sure that that place is safe," Stanley continued. 

Stanley says Uber failed to conduct proper driver background checks and install surveillance video measures to protect both drivers and riders.

Court documents allege that Uber hired Hireease, Inc. to do its background checks; a company that brags that it can vet drivers within 36 hours. The lawsuit claims those shortcuts led to growth but put people in danger.

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"We can't be pairing individuals with drivers could be dangerous or potentially dangerous. And so with every ride, Uber collects data on both the driver and the rider. If a rider reports something that's strange or off, Uber keeps that information. The router never knows if an Uber driver has committed any allegations of sexual misconduct," Stanley said. 

In a statement, a spokesperson with Uber said, "Sexual assault is a tragic crime, and we take any report of this nature very seriously. While we cannot comment on pending litigation, we are committed to keeping safety at the forefront of everything we do by building features and policies to help make the platform safer for all users."