In a win for rideshare company Uber Technologies, nearly all sexual assault claims filed in California and Texas against Uber were dismissed by a federal district judge. Though this is disappointing news for California and Texas plaintiffs, these cases were thrown out due to specific state laws and will likely not have much effect on claims filed in other states, for now.
Back in April 2024, Uber filed several motions to dismiss against hundreds of claims in New York, Illinois, Florida, Texas, and California. Then, in June, U.S. District Judge Charles R. Breyer granted Uber’s request with a hearing, but only for the motions to dismiss affecting California and Texas.
The majority of cases thrown out in California and Texas were strict product liability claims against Uber. These claims alleged that, due to defects in the Uber app, the rideshare company failed to help customers with timely support during unsafe trips and failed to conduct sufficient background checks when hiring drivers.
But, according to Judge Breyer’s court order, the issues listed in these claims were not necessarily app defects, but poor customer service and internal hiring processes. Since these claims did not discuss any defects or problems with the Uber app itself, they had to be thrown out. Thankfully, plaintiffs whose product liability cases were dismissed will be able to amend their claims within the next few weeks.
Judge Breyer also dismissed claims accusing Uber of acting fraudulently or negligently inflicting emotional distress, though he allowed standard negligence claims to continue. Vicarious liability claims filed in California are allowed to remain as well, since those are still valid under state law.
What will this mean for the Uber sexual assault lawsuit?
Affected plaintiffs will have a chance to make changes to their claims so that they comply with California and Texas law, so don’t give up hope if yours was dismissed. On August 29, 2024, the court will hold a case management conference to determine the next steps of the Uber sexual assault lawsuit and discuss the procedure for how plaintiffs can amend their claims.
If you or an immediate family member suffered from sexual assault while in an Uber, see if you qualify to join the Uber sexual assault lawsuit.