A lot of conversations about rideshare sexual assault focus on incidents involving drivers harming passengers, but this isn’t always how it happens. When someone drives for Uber, Lyft, or another rideshare service, the nature of the work places them alone in a vehicle with strangers. Drivers often work late at night or early in the morning, go to unfamiliar neighborhoods, and drop passengers off in potentially secluded areas, all of which are conditions that can leave drivers vulnerable to sexual assault by the passenger they’re transporting.
Drivers harmed by a passenger may consider criminal and civil options. While police investigations address potential criminal responsibility, civil claims may provide additional avenues for accountability and compensation for a driver’s injuries and losses. Stanley Law Firm offers confidential legal consultations to rideshare drivers who have faced sexual assault on the job. If you want to understand your options, reach out to schedule a free consultation.
Why Choose Stanley Law Firm to Handle Your Rideshare Sexual Assault Case?
Stanley Law Firm approaches rideshare sexual assault cases with experience and a commitment to protecting client privacy. Choosing the right legal representation can shape both the process and potential outcome of your claim. Here’s what sets our firm apart:
- Free consultations
- Contingency fees, meaning you pay nothing unless compensation is recovered
- Attorney Bret Stanley has served as first-chair counsel in nine final arbitration hearings against Uber
- Through work involving thousands of claimants against Uber, the firm has developed significant knowledge of Uber’s systems and practices
We are available to discuss your circumstances whenever you feel ready. If you would like a confidential case review, contact our firm to schedule your initial meeting.
How a Lawyer Helps When You’re Dealing With a Rideshare Sexual Assault Claim
Dealing with a sexual assault claim as a rideshare driver brings legal and personal challenges. Some specific ways a lawyer can make a difference include:
- Identifying witnesses and taking their statements, including other passengers or individuals who responded to the scene
- Analyzing the facts of what happened to determine all entities that are potentially responsible
- Calculating potential damages, which may account for lost income, treatment costs, and other long-term effects
- Negotiating with insurance companies or rideshare platforms on your behalf
- Preparing a lawsuit or arbitration filing if a fair resolution cannot be reached through initial negotiations
Working with a lawyer is one of the best ways to make sure your case is handled appropriately.
What Counts as Sexual Assault Against a Rideshare Driver?
Sexual assault against a rideshare driver refers to a range of unwanted sexual behaviors from passengers. This includes unwelcome touching, unwanted groping, or forced sexual contact. It can also involve sexual acts carried out by means of threats, physical force, or manipulation, or when the driver is unable to consent. Other sexual misconduct, such as a passenger exposing themselves, may also give rise to legal claims depending on the circumstances and applicable law.
What Should You Do After a Passenger Sexually Assaults You?
If you’ve been sexually assaulted by a passenger while driving for a rideshare service, there are steps you can take to protect your safety, preserve important evidence, and support any legal claim you may later choose to pursue.
- Move to a safe location and end the ride as soon as it is safe to do so
- Seek medical care right away if you are injured or need support
- Consider reporting the assault to law enforcement, though this is not required for a civil case
- Report the incident to the rideshare company through their official system
- Save all relevant trip details, in-app messages, receipts, call logs, and any dashcam footage
- Write down what happened while the details are clear in your mind
- Keep all records of medical appointments, counseling, and impacts on your work
Whenever you feel ready, reach out to an Uber assault lawyer familiar with these cases to protect important evidence and discuss next steps.
Who Can Be Held Responsible When a Passenger Sexually Assaults a Rideshare Driver?
When a rideshare driver experiences sexual assault by a passenger, responsibility may fall on the passenger or possibly the rideshare company, depending on the facts.
The Passenger
The individual who committed the assault can be held personally responsible in civil court. Civil claims may be pursued separately from any criminal case, focusing on injuries, medical expenses, and related damages sustained by the driver.
The Rideshare Company
Rideshare companies like Uber or Lyft have large volumes of information about every trip that occurs on their systems and have performed many studies concerning the risks of sexual assault on their platforms. Potential liability may depend on factors such as whether the company acted when it was on notice of prior altercations about a passenger, whether the rideshare application functioned properly, whether the rideshare company notified the driver of risks, or if the company failed to take reasonable action in response to known risks. To hold a rideshare company liable, you have to do more than just prove that the assault took place during a ride and that a passenger was the perpetrator.
Depending on the circumstances, additional parties could potentially bear responsibility as well. A lawyer can investigate the facts and identify which parties may be subject to a civil claim.
What Compensation May Be Available After a Rideshare Sexual Assault?
Compensation after a rideshare sexual assault claim may address the impact the assault has had on your health, your work, and your everyday life. Recoverable damages can include medical costs, counseling expenses, lost income from missed work, and reductions in your ability to work over time.
Many claims also seek damages for pain and suffering and mental health effects linked to the traumatic experience. Punitive damages may also be available in some cases, depending on the defendant’s conduct and applicable law. A lawyer can assess which of these types of damages may apply to your specific claim, taking into account both your immediate situation and potential long-term needs.
Talk to a Lawyer About Your Rideshare Sexual Assault Case Today
If you are a rideshare driver who has experienced sexual assault or unwanted sexual contact from a passenger, you may have options for holding the responsible party, and potentially other liable parties, accountable through a civil claim. Stanley Law Firm is available to review your experience and explain potential next steps. You can contact our office to arrange a private, no-obligation consultation.
