Chicago Uber Sexual Assault Lawyer
"*" indicates required fields
Author: Kathryn Kosmides
Survivor Advocate
Reviewed By: Melissa Reitberg
Uber Sexual Assault Attorney
Key Takeaways
- If you or someone you love experienced sexual assault by an Uber driver, you have legal rights and options.
- Speak to a professional Chicago Uber sexual assault lawyer as soon as possible following the incident to help you explore these options.
- An experienced law firm can file an Uber sexual assault lawsuit against the company to help you seek justice and financial compensation for the harm that happened to you.
Chicago Uber Sexual Assault Lawyers - Filing a Lawsuit in Illinois
If you or someone you know has experienced any form of rideshare sexual assault, you deserve help, healing, and justice for what happened to you. A Chicago Uber/Lyft sexual assault lawyer can help you understand your legal rights and options, including reporting to the platform, reporting to law enforcement, and/or filing a civil lawsuit against Uber or Lyft for the harm that happened to you.
Some individuals do not realize that what occurred is an example of rideshare sexual assault. Additionally, based on the reports we have received, victims of rideshare sexual assault are often intoxicated or asleep when the harm happens. This can be a devastating and traumatizing experience for someone who was just looking to get home or to their destination safely.
What can be considered rideshare sexual assault?
If you experienced any of the following examples of rideshare sexual assault, you can get the help you deserve to recover from the experience:
- Rape
- Attempted rape
- Groping or fondling
- Masturbation or indecent exposure
- Sex trafficking
- Other non-consensual sexual acts, including forced kissing or oral sex
If the rideshare sexual assault incident occurred recently, we’ve created a page to help you understand what to do immediately after a rideshare sexual assault.
After you are physically safe, speaking to an experienced Lyft/Uber sexual assault lawyer is the next best thing you can do. Here at Helping Survivors we work with a variety of experienced and trusted law firms around the nation who focus on helping individuals impacted by sexual abuse, including rideshare sexual assault.
How an Uber Sexual Assault Attorney in Chicago Can Help You
An experienced rideshare sexual assault lawyer can do more than just filing a civil lawsuit against Uber or Lyft. They can help you understand your rights and options holistically, help you get time off work if needed while protecting your employment, and the best way to document the harm that happened to you when filing a report to the platform.
If you haven’t already filed a report with law enforcement, an experienced lawyer can help walk you through this process and guide you through what information to share with law enforcement. While individuals cannot press charges against someone, they can file a report with law enforcement who will then investigate further and potentially pursue criminal charges against the individual.
Beyond helping with reporting to the rideshare platform or filing a report with police, an experienced rideshare sexual assault lawyer in Chicago can help you understand if filing a civil claim against Uber or Lyft makes sense for you. They will walk you through the process and answer any questions you may have.
Here are some things a Chicago Uber sexual assault attorney can help with when it comes to filing a sexual assault lawsuit:
- Gathering and documenting evidence of the assault
- Filing a sexual assault lawsuit against Uber or Lyft on your behalf
- Handling all communications with the company, their attorneys, and the courts
- If required, they will also help with the deposition process, which means gathering testimony obtained from you (and potentially others) regarding the case
- Negotiating with company representatives for a possible settlement
- If possible, filing the claim under seal or as a “Jane/John Doe” to help protect your information
- Representing you in all court appearances
While many law firms may say they handle rideshare sexual assault cases, they may not have the deep expertise and experience related to how to handle these types of cases. They may just see you and your trauma as a money-making endeavor for their firm — versus providing you with the expertise and trauma-informed process you deserve.
We can connect you to the leading rideshare abuse law firms.
We can help connect you to a Chicago Uber sexual assault lawyer in the following suburbs of Chicago:
- Elmhurst
- Berwyn
- Oak Park
- Aurora
- Naperville
- Joliet
- Cicero
- Des Plaines
- Elmwood Park
A truly experienced Chicago Uber/Lyft sexual assault law firm will be able to understand the intricacies of these types of cases, including whether you need to file under the Uber Multi-District Litigation or negotiating with Uber or Lyft on a larger settlement for your case.
Claims & Damages A Chicago Uber Sexual Assault Lawyer Can Seek Against Uber or Lyft
Most individuals who have been impacted by a rideshare sexual assault incident want to heal and move forward — and do not think about filing a sexual assault lawsuit against Uber or Lyft as part of that process. When you speak to an experienced Chicago Uber sexual assault attorney, they will work with you to understand what happened during the incident and how you have been impacted to draft a complaint against Uber or Lyft. Within this complaint, they will make certain claims and seek specific damages.
However, an experienced lawyer can help seek financial compensation to help those impacted heal from the harm, including seeking damages for:
- Medical treatment (including hospital bills)
- Mental health counseling
- Lost work time and earnings
- Pain and suffering
- Punitive damages (damages beyond compensatory, designed to deter company from continuing to practices that cause harm)
Filing a lawsuit against Uber or Lyft can be a relatively simple process for survivors if they work with an experienced Uber sexual assault lawyer. However, the process can be dragged out if your lawyer is not familiar with the processes involved or how to negotiate with rideshare companies. There is no specific timeline or settlement amount for a rideshare sexual assault case – but an experienced lawyer can evaluate your specific case and provide estimates.
In filing a lawsuit against the rideshare company, a Chicago Uber sexual assault lawyer will typically cite the following negligence on the rideshare company’s part when filing a claim:
- Poor hiring and vetting of drivers
- Deceptive marketing
- Lack of monitoring or oversight of drivers
An experienced Chicago Uber sexual assault lawyer can help you get the most compensation possible as they know how to fiercely advocate for survivors and negotiate with Uber and Lyft.
We can connect you to the leading rideshare abuse law firms.
Chicago Uber Sexual Assaults in the News
Are Ubers safe in Chicago?
Numerous Uber sexual assaults have been reported in Chicago over the last few years, with many of the most severe cases of rideshare sexual assault happening in the area.
Many individuals impacted have bravely come forward to help stop and prevent future harm by filing police reports, working with an experienced Chicago Uber sexual assault lawyer to file a lawsuit against Uber, and speaking to the media about what happened and their desires for justice and accountability.
Uber driver sexually abused passenger in Elmhurst
In July 2023, Ghazwan Alani, 35, was found guilty in criminal court of sexually abusing a passenger in September 2020. It is alleged that Alani was driving a 23-year-old female passenger to a destination in Elmhurst in May 2020. When they arrived at the destination around 1 AM, Alani allegedly got out of the vehicle, opened the passenger’s door and began sexually abusing her. The woman was able to escape by forcefully kicking Alani and running into her destination. She reported to law enforcement later that day and an investigation led to his arrest.
Uber driver charged with zip-tying, then sexually assaulting passenger
In June 2022, Christopher Molina was charged with aggravated sexual assault, kidnapping and unlawful restraint. The female victim stated she fell asleep during the ride and woke up to her hands being zip tied while she was in the backseat. Molina drove to a parking garage and sexually assaulted her. An Uber spokesperson described the incident as “deeply disturbing” and stated Molina had been banned from the app but took no other responsibility publicly for the violent assault.
5 rapes linked to fake Uber driver preying on women leaving Chicago bars
In September 2017, Musaab Afandi, 33, was charged in five Chicago area rape cases. It is alleged that he picked up one victim in a taxi and kidnapped four others by pretending he was their Uber driver. He was previously arrested for similar charges in another location.
Chicago man charged in sex assault of Uber passenger
Maxime Fohounhedo, was charged in the sexual assault of a 22 year old female passenger. Fohounhedo was an Uber driver that was matched with the young female victim to pick her up from a local Chicago bar at 3am. The victim alleged she blacked out in the car and told officers she woke up in an unknown apartment.
Chicago Uber & Rideshare Data
In Chicago, as of 2019, there are three licensed ridesharing companies: Uber, Lyft, and Via, collectively referred to as “Transportation Network Providers”. This means that each Uber, Lyft, or Via driver in Chicago must be registered and licensed under the Transportation Network Company and all rides are tracked and provided to this third party organization.
The city of Chicago has required the TNC to share data on trips, including Uber, Lyft, and Via rides. During the 2019 study, it was found that over a two month period, more than 17 million trips were taken an average of 286,000 rideshare trips per day in the Chicago area with 82% of trips being individual bookings.
As of February 2023, the data shows approximately 47,000 active rideshare drivers in the Chicago area.
Many of the news reports regarding Chicago area rideshare sexual assaults have three common themes: victims are mostly young women, the victim is often intoxicated and/or asleep during the ride, and the ride is late at night (12am – 4am). This highlights the unfortunate reality women exist in, where trying to be responsible and getting an Uber home after drinking could result in a traumatizing experience.
Helping Survivors is here to support any and all victims of sexual assault, abuse, and harassment. We can connect you with an experienced and trusted Chicago Uber sexual assault lawyer who will fight for your rights and help you seek justice and healing.
Want To Speak With A Lawyer?
