What Is Considered Sexual Assault in a Rideshare Vehicle?
Not every assault leaves bruises. It could be a comment that changes the whole ride. Sometimes, it’s a hand on your knee, the driver blocking the door, or a message after the ride that turns your stomach.
California law defines sexual assault as any unwanted sexual contact, threat, or behavior—physical or not—that crosses personal boundaries and leaves someone feeling exposed or unsafe.
In rideshare vehicles, that can mean:
- Sexual comments about your appearance, body, or clothing;
- Personal questions about your dating life, living situation, or sex life;
- Unwanted touching, even if they try to pass it off as “friendly”;
- Blocking your exit or following you into your building; or
- Contacting you after the ride with messages that cross into personal or sexual territory.
Rideshare companies argue whether drivers are contractors or employees, using that debate to shift blame. None of that changes the fact that the companies built the system that gave drivers access to passengers in the first place.
How Rideshare Companies Track Sexual Assault
Rideshare companies track sexual assault incidents the same way they track miles and wait times—as data points. The reports they release, like Uber's Safety Report (2019-2022) and Lyft’s Community Safety Report (2021), break down into neat categories, but the reality behind those numbers is anything but clean.
Both companies divide sexual assaults into five categories:
- Non-consensual kissing of a non-sexual body part,
- Non-consensual touching of a sexual body part,
- Attempted non-consensual sexual penetration,
- Non-consensual sexual penetration, and
- Non-consensual kissing of a sexual body part.
Every entry in those reports exists because survivors spoke up—not because the companies volunteered the information. These reports weren’t published out of a sense of responsibility. They resulted from pressure, public outcry, and legal action that made it impossible for companies to keep everything behind closed doors.
“No one gets in a rideshare expecting the driver to be the person they need protection from. The people we work with didn’t do anything wrong—they trusted a system that promised safety. That trust was broken, and our job is to make sure companies can’t bury that truth under corporate spin.”
— Laurel L. Simes | Founding Partner at Levin Simes
Is It Worth Filing a Rideshare Sexual Assault Lawsuit?
A lawsuit puts what happened on record, especially when rideshare companies would rather call it rare and move on.
A rideshare sexual assault lawsuit can recover:
- Medical bills for emergency treatment, therapy, and follow-up care;
- Lost pay if you couldn’t work after the assault;
- Therapy and counseling, whether short-term or ongoing;
- Damages for the emotional, physical, and psychological toll; and
- Punitive damages, meant to hold companies responsible when they knew—or should have known—passengers were at risk
Survivors working with a rideshare sexual assault attorney recover more on average than those who try to deal with companies directly. Companies have a pattern of minimizing complaints, blaming passengers, or refusing to respond. Legal pressure forces them to take accountability seriously.
What to Do After a Rideshare Sexual Assault
There’s no single right way to respond after an assault. Some people feel ready to act right away. Others take time to process. Whenever you’re ready, these steps can help:
- Get to a safe place.
- Save screenshots of your ride, driver information, and any messages.
- Write down anything you remember, even if it feels small.
- Consider reporting to the police or seeking medical care—that’s your decision.
- Talk to a rideshare sexual assault lawyer at Levin Simes to learn what’s possible without pressure or deadlines.
California gives survivors up to 10 years to file a lawsuit. Cases are often stronger when records, texts, and app data are preserved early, but no one should feel rushed into a decision.
Rideshare companies built a system that gave drivers access to passengers, but they’ve spent years downplaying what happens when that access gets abused. Survivors have every right to ask questions, demand answers, and hold companies responsible for the decisions that put them at risk. Call Levin Simes at (415) 426-3000 or complete the online contact form to learn more.
How Many Lawsuits Are There Against Uber?
Uber’s marketing pushes convenience and safety, but the reality paints a different picture. The company’s own safety reports—reports they were pressured to release—document thousands of sexual assault complaints every year, along with hundreds of rapes and several murders linked to drivers on the platform.
The lawsuits filed against Uber often point to the same failures:
- Keeping drivers on the platform after complaints,
- Skipping thorough background checks,
- Misleading passengers about how drivers get screened, and
- Prioritizing rapid driver onboarding over passenger safety.
CNN Business once described Uber’s legal history as a “never-ending stream of lawsuits.” The numbers are public now because survivors spoke up, not because the company chose transparency. All those lawsuits started with a single passenger who trusted the app to provide a safe ride home.
How Many Lawsuits Are There Against Lyft?
Lyft’s safety reports mirror what’s been uncovered about Uber—thousands of sexual assault complaints every year. The reports break incidents into categories like:
- Unwanted sexual comments or harassment,
- Unwanted touching,
- Attempted sexual penetration, and
- Completed sexual assault.
Lyft, like Uber, prefers to call these events rare, but the reality behind the numbers tells a different story.
Drivers accused of harassment or assault have repeatedly stayed on the platform, continuing to pick up passengers even after survivors reported them. Lyft’s system allows drivers to access passenger names, trip locations, and other personal information—giving them far too much access for far too long.
These lawsuits hold weight not just because of what happened to each survivor but because they expose how little rideshare companies have done to change a system that continues putting people at risk.
Case Example—Rideshare Lawsuits May Prevent Repeat Offenders
Some cases show just how much damage a driver can do when companies fail to act.
One Uber driver in California spent two years using his role to target intoxicated passengers. He followed riders into their homes, sexually assaulted them, and stole from them after gaining their trust through the app.
The case ended with a conviction for three rapes and 13 felonies. Had survivors not stepped forward, there’s no telling how many more people he could have harmed.
Rideshare sexual assault lawsuits do more than seek compensation. They uncover patterns, identify drivers who should have been removed long ago, and shine a light on the systems that let them stay behind the wheel.
What Is the Uber Sexual Assault MDL?
The Uber Sexual Assault Multidistrict Litigation (MDL) combines hundreds of survivor lawsuits into a coordinated legal action. These lawsuits all point to the same pattern—Uber’s choices created conditions where assaults were more likely to happen, and their failure to act left dangerous drivers on the platform.
The MDL focuses on claims that Uber:
- Ignored clear warning signs about specific drivers,
- Failed to take passenger complaints seriously, and
- Misled the public about the safety measures in place.
Some cases go into the MDL, while others move forward independently depending on the circumstances. Whether a case fits the MDL or moves separately, the goal remains to hold rideshare companies responsible for what they could have prevented.
Do You Have a Rideshare Assault Case?
These cases don’t start with legal questions—they begin with what happened to you. The facts of the ride, the driver’s behavior, and the company’s choices all matter when deciding whether a lawsuit can proceed.
A case may be possible if:
- A rideshare driver sexually harassed, assaulted, or threatened you;
- The driver stayed on the app after earlier complaints;
- The company ignored warnings or failed to screen the driver;
- The driver used app access to contact or follow you after the ride ended; or
- The assault happened in the car, or the driver’s access to your information played a role.
Even when no criminal charges are filed, civil lawsuits can expose what companies knew, when they knew it, and how much harm could have been avoided.
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