Uber and Lyft assault claims

If you were harmed on an Uber or Lyft ride, this guide explains the claim questions to ask. The court lists separate Uber and Lyft case groups, and Uber has had a test trial. That court activity does not decide whether a lawyer can bring your own claim.

What is happening in the case right now, and what does that mean for someone new?

The court lists separate Uber and Lyft groups. Its Uber page links exhibits from a test trial, where one person’s case was heard. Ask how that work relates to your facts rather than treating a trial as a promise of a result.

What the court records show

A July 2026 Uber order discusses new claims and work to gather evidence for test trials. The October 1 court panel report lists 4,916 pending Uber actions. Those are court cases in the Uber group; they are not a count of people paid or a count for Lyft. These records do not give a new person a right to payment.

What does it cost to get help?

Ask the firm for its fee terms in writing. Ask what fees and costs you would owe if the case ends with no money for you. The ABA’s model fee rule addresses written fee terms and case expenses; it does not set this site’s partner fees.

Read the terms before you sign

Ask what work the firm agrees to do and how it earns its fee. If the fee is a share of money received, ask for the share and how costs change the amount you keep. Ask whether costs come out before or after that fee. Ask which costs you might owe if there is no recovery, then keep a copy of the terms.

What should I do today?

If you need emergency help, call 911. For support after sexual assault, you can call RAINN at 800-656-4673 or text HOPE to 64673. RAINN can help you find a clinic or hospital; seeking care is a step apart from asking about a civil claim.

Make room for safe care

Ask a trained care provider about injuries, an exam and follow-up care. RAINN’s care guide explains that an exam can collect evidence if you choose one. Ask what each step involves before you agree to it. Contact a trained support service if you want help finding care or thinking through your next step.

Keep contact safe

Before you share details with a firm, ask how it will store them and who can see them. Tell staff if a call, text or email could put you at risk. Ask what contact options they can offer. This is a request to confirm safe contact; it is not a promise about the privacy rules of a firm or a court.

If you are helping someone else

Ask the person what help they want before you make a call or share their story. You might offer to sit with them while they look for support, help write down questions or help find the ride receipt. Let them choose what to say and when to take a break. Do not send their private notes to a firm without asking them first. If you call a support service yourself, ask how it can help you support the person and which details you should keep private. You can also help prepare questions for a lawyer: who will see the records, how will staff make contact, and what does the firm need to check next? Keep care questions apart from legal questions. A care provider can explain an exam, and a lawyer can explain what facts they need to review. Ask each person to stay within the help they can give.

What is the evidence about Uber and Lyft ride safety?

Uber publishes safety reports that include reports from riders and drivers. Uber says its reports do not decide whether each reported event took place. A company report and an allegation in court papers are not findings that a company is at fault in your case.

What each source can tell you

The Uber claims described by the court panel concern safety steps and alleged harm to passengers. Those are claims the court must assess, not facts this page treats as proved. The company report has a different purpose and covers reported events in a set period. Ask a lawyer which records support your own account and which questions remain open.

Sources

The source list includes court records, Uber’s own report, RAINN and the ABA’s model fee rule. Each source has a different scope. Read the linked record before using it to make a claim about your own case.

Physical Injuries from Sexual Assault

Sexual assault frequently produces physical injuries beyond the assault itself, including injuries from physical restraint, struggle, or force used by the perpetrator. The sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE) examination is the gold-standard forensic medical evaluation conducted as close to the assault as possible to document injuries, collect biological evidence, and provide immediate medical care. Physical injuries documented in rideshare assault cases have included contusions and bruising from restraint, lacerations, genital trauma, and injuries from falls or escape attempts.

• Genital or anal injuries and lacerations
• Contusions and bruising at sites of physical restraint (wrists, arms, neck)
• Lacerations requiring suturing
• Injuries from falls or escape during the assault
• Exposure risk requiring STI prophylaxis and HIV post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP)
• Pregnancy risk requiring emergency contraception
• Physical force or restraint used by perpetrator
• Confined space of rideshare vehicle limiting escape
• Perpetrator size advantage over survivor
• Delayed access to medical care after the assault
• SANE examination at hospital emergency department or rape crisis center
• STI testing and prophylactic antibiotic treatment
• HIV post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) — most effective within 72 hours of exposure
• Emergency contraception
• Wound care, suturing, and follow-up for physical injuries
• Referral to trauma-informed OB/GYN for ongoing care

Corporate Accountability: Uber & Lyft Rideshare Sexual Assault Litigation

Uber Technologies and Lyft Inc. face coordinated multidistrict litigation in the Northern District of California brought by thousands of survivors who allege they were sexually assaulted by rideshare drivers. The litigation contends that both companies prioritized driver acquisition and growth over passenger safety, suppressed assault data, weaponized arbitration clauses against survivors, and made materially false safety representations to the public.

Survivor Advocacy and Public Accountability

The rideshare sexual assault litigation has driven significant public backlash and regulatory reform pressure, with survivor advocates, journalists, and state legislatures demanding structural changes to driver screening, incident response, and arbitration practices at both Uber and Lyft.

• CNN December 2018 investigation documenting 103 accused or convicted rideshare drivers triggered congressional inquiries and forced both companies to publicly address background check adequacy for the first time
• 'Delete Uber' social media campaign — originally ignited by labor and political controversies — resurged as assault disclosures spread, with survivor hashtag movements amplifying individual stories and pressuring major institutional investors
• Survivor advocacy groups including SurvJustice and End Rape on Campus filed formal complaints with the FTC and state AGs, characterizing Uber's arbitration clauses as unlawful suppression of sexual assault claims
• Multiple states — including California, New York, Illinois, and New Jersey — introduced or enacted legislation requiring rideshare companies to implement fingerprint-based background checks and prohibiting forced arbitration for sexual assault claims
• Both Uber and Lyft faced institutional shareholder resolutions demanding independent safety audits and elimination of mandatory arbitration for assault survivors, with significant minority shareholder support at annual meetings

Moody's Investors Service

Litigation Contingency Risk Flag

Moody's noted in Uber's credit analysis that unresolved MDL litigation represents a material contingent liability with uncertain settlement exposure, citing the volume of plaintiffs and sensitivity of bellwether discovery outcomes.

S&P Global Ratings

Reputational and Regulatory Risk Disclosure

S&P highlighted ongoing regulatory scrutiny, including multi-state AG investigations and potential federal TNC safety legislation, as factors that could constrain Uber's and Lyft's operating margins and increase compliance costs across their driver networks.

Uber and Lyft's own safety reports confirm that thousands of sexual assaults occurred during rides, yet both companies resisted meaningful screening reforms, routed survivors into forced arbitration, and delayed transparency for years. The MDL proceedings — backed by internal documents showing executive awareness — represent the most significant corporate safety reckoning in the rideshare industry's history.

Rideshare Sexual Assault Lawsuit Filing Deadlines

Civil statutes of limitations for sexual assault claims vary dramatically by state — from as few as 2 years to as many as 20 years or no limit at all — and many states have extended these deadlines significantly in recent years. If you were assaulted in a rideshare vehicle, please know that you may have more time than you think, and that speaking with an attorney is the only way to know for certain whether your window is still open. We encourage every survivor to reach out, regardless of when the assault occurred.

Extended SOLs and Survivor-Protective Doctrines

The sexual assault statute of limitations landscape has changed rapidly since 2018. Responding to widespread recognition that trauma causes delayed disclosure and that institutional defendants like Uber and Lyft should be held accountable, the majority of state legislatures have extended civil SOLs for adult sexual assault to 10 years or more from the date of the assault. California extended its SOL to 10 years from the assault or 3 years from the discovery of injury (whichever is later). New York's Adult Survivors Act created a lookback window that has since closed but the standard SOL is now 20 years. Texas provides a 5-year SOL for sexual assault civil claims. Florida provides 7 years. For survivors who were minors at the time of the assault, tolling rules typically suspend the SOL until age 18, and some states provide additional years beyond majority. The discovery rule — which starts the clock when the survivor knew or reasonably should have known that their harm was caused by another's negligence — may extend deadlines further. Institutional defendant tolling doctrines, fraudulent concealment by Uber or Lyft, and minority tolling are all arguments an attorney can evaluate for your specific situation. Do not assume time has run without speaking to an attorney.

A survivor was assaulted during a Lyft ride in California in 2020 and did not report or contact an attorney until 2026.

California's civil SOL for sexual assault is 10 years from the date of the assault (Cal. Civ. Proc. Code § 340.16). The survivor's deadline is 2030. She is well within the filing window and can pursue a civil claim against both the driver and Lyft.

A minor was assaulted during an Uber ride in Texas at age 16 in 2019. She turns 18 in 2021.

Texas law sets a 30-year limitations period for personal-injury suits arising from sexual assault of a child and a 5-year period for other sexual assault (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.0045). Which period applies, and when it began, depends on her facts. A lawyer can tell her.

A survivor was assaulted in Florida in 2018 but only connected their ongoing PTSD to the assault through therapy in 2024.

Florida's 7-year SOL for sexual assault begins from the date of the assault (2018), making the standard deadline 2025. However, Florida's discovery rule may extend the deadline to 2027 (3 years from discovery). An attorney should evaluate the discovery rule argument.

Many states now provide 5-20 years for survivors to file civil sexual assault claims, and some have no deadline at all. Even if you were assaulted years ago, please contact an attorney before concluding your time has passed. The only deadline that matters is the one that applies to your state and your specific circumstances.