On February 5, 2026, a federal jury ordered Uber to pay $8.5 million to a woman who was sexually assaulted by one of its drivers in Tempe, Arizona. This was the very first sexual assault verdict ever awarded in the ongoing lawsuit against Uber and Lyft, the two biggest rideshare companies in America.
What happened?
The woman on trial originally sued Uber in 2023, when she was only 19 years old. On the night of the assault, she was returning to her hotel in Tempe after a few drinks at her boyfriend’s apartment. But during the trip, her Uber driver suddenly turned off the GPS and pulled into a dark parking lot, taking advantage of her intoxicated state.
Because the driver was working as an Uber employee during the assault, the jury decided to hold Uber responsible for his actions, awarding the survivor $8.5 million in compensatory damages. However, the jury found that Uber itself did not act with negligence or offer faulty services, so the survivor did not receive any punitive damages meant to punish bad corporate behavior.
Has any other money been awarded?
Though Uber and Lyft haven’t announced any global settlements, another woman was recently awarded $5,000 in North Carolina after she was groped by her Uber driver. This is a relatively small verdict, especially when compared to the $8.5 million award from February’s trial, but legal experts believe this outcome still sends a powerful message to Uber executives about corporate accountability.
Then in 2023, a survivor was also awarded $9,000,000 in an individual settlement against Lyft, as well as two different Days Inn hotels. The girl was only 11 years old at the time she was assaulted. Though it wasn’t a Lyft driver that harmed her, since the incident occurred at a Days Inn location, Lyft still agreed to the settlement because several of its drivers broke company policy.
How will this affect the lawsuit going forward?
Now that multiple verdicts and settlements have been awarded against Uber and Lyft for failing to protect sexual assault survivors, a global settlement for thousands of victims could soon be on the horizon. Not only that, but two more cases will be heading to federal court this year—the next trial is scheduled to start this September.
File a Uber/Lyft Rideshare claim
If you or someone you love were sexually assaulted while taking an Uber or Lyft, you could be entitled to substantial compensation from the lawsuit. As of June 2026, over 3,500 survivors have filed sexual assault claims against Uber in federal court, and another 2,000 lawsuits against Lyft have been filed in state courts.
Ready for a free case review? Take our online Rideshare Abuse eligibility evaluation to see if you may be eligible to file a claim.
