Rape victim files case against Uber in the US

The rape survivor is also seeking a permanent injunction directing that Uber take all affirmative steps necessary to remedy the effects of the unlawful conduct.

The 25-year old woman, who was allegedly raped in an Uber cab last December, has filed a lawsuit against the company in a US court to “slam brakes” on Uber’s “reckless worldwide expansion” at the “expense of basic customer safety”. She has also sought a compensation from the company.

The lawsuit was filed against Uber Technologies in the court of the Northern District of California on Thursday. Not wishing to reveal the original name of the victim, the plaintiff has been referred to as ‘Jane Doe’ in the complaint.

The woman alleged that the company “routinely fails” to adequately monitor and trace Uber trips and does not adequately screen its drivers, thereby regularly employing drivers with criminal histories.

Referring to the woman as a “loyal Uber customer” who felt “tragically let down”, the complaint narrated the details of the incident. “Uber, in line with its slogan of ‘expanding globally’, has aggressively entered the Indian taxi market. But the company’s background check procedures and safety efforts have proven to be woefully inadequate and fall short of what is required for other transportation providers in India,” it states.

The complaint further said that since Uber is headquartered in San Francisco, the court has a personal jurisdiction over the defendant. “All safety protocols governing the events and omissions giving rise to this action were conceived, reviewed, approved and controlled from the defendant’s headquarters in San Francisco, California.”