An Uber passenger in Delhi suffered a "horrific and brutal rape" due to the controversial taxi app company's "inadequate and disingenuous commitment to safety", according to a suit filed in US federal court.
Lawyers for the unnamed passenger, who was reportedly sexually assaulted and beaten by an Uber driver late last year, filed the suit in the Northern District of California.
Sexual assault
Uber’s “negligence, fraud and other unlawful actions caused plaintiff’s sexual assault, which has humiliated, degraded, violated and robbed plaintiff of her dignity”, the suit states.
The plaintiff's lawyer, Douglas Wigdor, of New York-based Wigdor, said: "Uber's focus on its bottom line over the safety of its passengers has resulted in what can only be described as modern day electronic hitchhiking. We hope that this lawsuit will bring about positive change that will ultimately protect people worldwide who are unaware of the serious risks of entering into an Uber car."
Ultimate cost
Wigdor lawyer
Jeanne Christensen
said a decision by Uber executives to cut costs “at the expense of customer safety forced our client to pay the ultimate cost in New Delhi,
India
. Her brutal rape by an Uber driver who was a known repeat sexual predator was a result of a global Uber policy that has far-reaching consequences. We intend to hold Uber accountable for violence that could easily have been avoided had even a minimal background check been conducted.”
India is Uber’s largest market outside the United States. – (Guardian service)