If you or a loved one experienced sexual assault in a rideshare vehicle like an Uber or Lyft, Helping Survivors can connect you with information, compassionate support, and legal representation to help you understand your rights and options.
On This Page
- What Should I Do Immediately After a Rideshare Sexual Assault?
- Do I Need To Report My Assault to Uber or Lyft Before Filing a Lawsuit?
- How Do I Find a Lawyer for a Rideshare Sexual Assault Case?
- How Much Does a Rideshare Sexual Assault Lawyer Cost?
- What Evidence Do I Need?
- How Long Do I Have To Sue?
- How Long Does a Rideshare Sexual Assault Lawsuit Take?
- Rideshare sexual assault occurs when a driver or passenger in a rideshare service engages in any non-consensual sexual act or conduct toward a victim.
- After experiencing sexual assault by a rideshare driver or passenger, survivors have options for holding the responsible parties accountable.
- Consult a rideshare sexual assault lawyer as soon as possible to learn more about your rights.
Rideshare services like Uber and Lyft are currently facing thousands of lawsuits at the state and federal levels regarding alleged sexual assault by their drivers. These lawsuits assert that Uber and Lyft failed to protect passengers by improperly vetting drivers and hiding the real number of assaults that occur on their platforms each year from the public.
In its 2021-2022 U.S. Safety Report, Uber reported 2,717 incidents of sexual assault, with the majority of victims being riders. However, court records later revealed that Uber received a report of sexual assault or misconduct in the U.S. almost every eight minutes on average between 2017 and 2022.
While the company has maintained that 99.9% of its U.S. trips occur without incident, the scale of Uber’s operations means that’s still hundreds of thousands of trips resulting in reports of sexual assault or misconduct.
What Should I Do Immediately After a Rideshare Sexual Assault?
The most important thing to do immediately after being sexually assaulted in a rideshare is to get to safety. Call 911 or the local police if necessary.
If medical attention is required or you want to undergo a sexual assault forensic exam, or SAFE, go to a hospital next. Contact RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline—800-656-HOPE—for help finding a local clinic or hospital that provides care to survivors of sexual violence.
Once you are safe and have received medical treatment, document everything you remember about the incident in detailed written notes with times and dates. Record your emotions, physical feelings, and any information you remember about the assailant.
Next, you may wish to report the assault to Uber, Lyft, or the local police, as well as consult with an experienced rideshare sexual assault attorney to ensure your rights are protected.
Do I Need To Report My Assault to Uber or Lyft Before Filing a Lawsuit?
While reporting the assault to Uber or Lyft, or even the police, is required for pursuing a sexual assault lawsuit, filing an official report can create a valuable paper trail. A report documents the assault and puts the rideshare service on notice of it, which can serve as evidence in both your case and those of other victims.
How To Report to Uber
To report a rideshare sexual assault incident to Uber, log in online or in the Uber app, then navigate to the help with a trip or safety section to submit a report of a serious incident involving a driver. Because you must be logged in to file a report, these reports can not be submitted anonymously.
How To Report to Lyft
Drivers and riders can report safety concerns, such as rideshare sexual assault in a Lyft, on the Lyft website or in the app. Lyft states that its safety team is available 24/7.
How Do I Find a Lawyer for a Rideshare Sexual Assault Case?
When seeking out an attorney to represent you in a rideshare sexual assault case, it’s important to look for an attorney with specific experience in Uber or Lyft sexual assault lawsuits. Your attorney should provide a trauma-informed, empathetic approach to your case for a personal experience that does not cause further emotional harm.
How Much Does a Rideshare Sexual Assault Lawyer Cost?
The cost of working with a rideshare sexual assault lawyer may vary depending on the case. However, many lawyers who handle such cases work on a contingency fee basis, meaning clients do not owe anything unless and until they recover compensation. Additionally, most initial case evaluations for rideshare sexual assault are free.
At Helping Survivors, our legal partners offer free consultations and take rideshare sexual assault cases on a contingency fee basis, so survivors won’t pay any costs unless their case is successfully resolved.
Our law firm partners file civil lawsuits on behalf of survivors against the individuals and institutions that perpetrated and enabled sexual assault. These lawsuits seek compensation for the survivors’ suffering and losses. Get legal help today.
What Evidence Do I Need?
In a rideshare sexual assault case, the more evidence you have, the better your chances of a successful settlement or jury verdict. Save anything that can help tell your story, such as ride details, screenshots of messages, photos of injuries, medical records, police reports, and the testimony of any witnesses or people you told about the assault after it occurred. You may be able to hold both the driver and the rideshare company accountable through legal action.
How Long Do I Have To Sue?
Each state has its own statute of limitations imposing the filing deadline for sexual assault cases. While most states give adult victims two to three years to file suit, some states provide much longer periods. It’s important to know your state’s specific deadline as soon as possible so you don’t lose your right to sue.
How Long Does a Rideshare Sexual Assault Lawsuit Take?
There is no set timeline for a rideshare sexual assault lawsuit, and different factors may impact the timing, such as the laws of your state, the willingness of the parties to negotiate, the availability of the evidence, the severity of the harm, the court’s backlog, and more.
For example, if the driver or rideshare company agrees to a settlement negotiated out of court, the case may only take a few months, but cases that go to trial can take years to resolve.
Cases may also take longer to resolve if they are part of a consolidated legal action, such as the Uber or Lyft Multi-District Litigation proceedings.
