Bellwether Uber Sexual Assault Case: No Causation
The first US case to reach a verdict on whether Uber should be responsible for failing to prevent drivers from sexually assaulting passengers is a win for the ride-sharing company. A San Francisco County jury found that Uber breached its duty to a plaintiff sexually assaulted by her Uber driver, but the breach was not a substantial factor in her harm.
Although good news for Uber, the breach finding suggests that other cases have the potential to come out the other way. More cases, both state and federal, are on the way:
This case was the first bellwether trial among hundreds of similar California state court cases and thousands of federal cases from around the country that were consolidated in a federal court in San Francisco. The first federal bellwether trials are slated to begin early next year. The bellwether is a test case that will help provide a preview for future cases and influence large-scale settlement negotiations.
Isaiah Poritz at Bloomberg has the story.