Uber and Lyft Sexual Assault Lawsuits: 2026 Verdicts, MDL Status, and Who Qualifies

Survivors claim the companies knew for years that drivers were assaulting passengers but did not take available steps to prevent it. Common allegations include:

• Inadequate screening: background checks that missed red flags, and allowing drivers with prior complaints to keep driving.
• Failure to act on reports: not removing drivers after passengers reported misconduct.
• Missing safety features: not requiring in-car cameras, and slow rollout of features such as women-rider preferences.
• Marketing: promoting rides as a safe way home, especially after drinking.

Uber

Federal cases are consolidated as In re: Uber Technologies, Inc., Passenger Sexual Assault Litigation, MDL No. 3084, before Judge Charles R. Breyer in the Northern District of California. California state cases are coordinated in San Francisco Superior Court.

Lyft

Federal cases are consolidated as In re: Lyft, Inc. Passenger Sexual Assault Litigation, MDL No. 3171, before Judge Rita F. Lin in the Northern District of California. About 2,000 Lyft cases are pending in coordinated California state proceedings.

Uber trial results

In the first California state trial, which ended in late September 2025, the jury found Uber negligent in connection with a 2016 assault on an 18-year-old but found its negligence was not a substantial factor in causing her harm, so no damages were awarded. In the first federal bellwether, a Phoenix jury on February 5, 2026 awarded $8.5 million in compensatory damages to a plaintiff who said an Uber driver raped her, holding Uber responsible under apparent agency; no punitive damages were awarded, and Uber said it would appeal. In the second federal bellwether, a North Carolina jury on April 20, 2026 awarded $5,000 after the defense attacked the plaintiff's credibility. The third federal bellwether, Jane Doe QLF 001, is set for trial in early October 2026.

Case counts

The Uber MDL reached 4,588 pending cases on September 1, 2026. Some cases have settled individually, but there is no global settlement.

Lyft

The JPML created MDL 3171 on February 5, 2026. Judge Lin has appointed a settlement master, and the federal cases are in early stages. The first coordinated California state trial against Lyft was scheduled to begin around September 30, 2026.

Attorneys generally look for:

1. A ride booked through Uber or Lyft, by you or for you.
2. Sexual assault, rape, unwanted touching, kidnapping, or serious sexual harassment by the driver.
3. A connection to the trip: during the ride, at pickup or drop-off, or right after, when the driver used information from the ride.
4. Harm, such as physical injury, trauma, anxiety, depression, or lost work.

You do not need to have reported to police to talk with an attorney, although reports help. Many survivors report months or years later.

Who probably does not qualify

Assaults by a fellow passenger, by someone you met separately with no link to the app, or cases where the ride cannot be identified at all are much harder. Incidents with minor harassment and no lasting harm may be worth little in court, as the $5,000 North Carolina verdict shows.

Values vary widely. The federal results so far show the range: $8.5 million in one bellwether, $5,000 in another, and no damages in the first California state trial. Factors that matter most:

• The severity of the assault and physical injuries.
• Medical and counseling records documenting lasting harm, including PTSD.
• Evidence that the company had warnings about the driver.
• Credibility issues the defense can raise, such as intoxication or inconsistent accounts.
• Lost income and future treatment costs.

Other rideshare cases give context: Lyft and two Days Inn hotels agreed to a $9 million settlement in Pennsylvania after a man used Lyft to take an 11-year-old girl to a hotel and assaulted her. That case also involved hotel defendants; see our human trafficking lawsuit page for claims against hotels.

Any global settlement would likely use tiers based on the type of assault and harm. For how mass torts differ from class actions, see class action vs. mass tort and what an MDL is.

• Negligence: the company failed to use reasonable care in screening, monitoring, and removing drivers, or in designing safety features.
• Apparent agency: a passenger reasonably believed the driver was acting for the company, making the company responsible for the driver's conduct. This was the basis of the $8.5 million Dean verdict.
• Common carrier duty: in some states, businesses that transport the public owe passengers the highest duty of care.
• Product liability: claims that the app was defectively designed without safety features.
• Misrepresentation: claims based on safety marketing.

The companies argue drivers are independent contractors and that they are not liable for drivers' crimes. They also rely on the arbitration clause in their terms, but the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act of 2022 lets survivors choose to go to court. On driver classification more generally, see misclassification lawsuits.

Each state sets its own deadline. Personal injury deadlines are often 2 to 3 years, but many states give sexual assault survivors much longer, and some have opened temporary windows for older claims. California, for example, has longer limits for sexual assault claims than for ordinary injuries. For survivors who were minors, the clock often does not start until age 18.

Because the rules differ so much, and because an MDL does not pause your personal deadline until your own case is filed, speak with an attorney promptly. See the statute of limitations entry for more.

The trip record is often the single most important document in a rideshare assault case. Even if the assault happened years ago, the record may still be available.

1. Check the app. Both apps keep a trip history with date, time, route, driver first name, and vehicle. Screenshot every screen for the trip.
2. Check your email. Receipts are emailed after each ride. Search your inbox for the date and forward copies to a safe account.
3. Check your card statements. A charge on the date can confirm the ride if the receipt is gone.
4. Request your data. Both companies let users request a copy of their account data, which can include trip details.
5. If someone else booked the ride, ask that person to save the receipt and trip details from their account.

Uber's own U.S. safety reports counted 12,522 reports in its five most serious sexual assault categories from 2017 through 2022, which is why the companies have detailed internal reporting systems. Any report you made through the app, including support chats, may help show when the company learned about the driver.

Privacy during a lawsuit

Courts in these cases have set limits on what the companies can seek about a survivor's unrelated history, and many survivors file under initials or a pseudonym. Ask an attorney how your identity and records will be protected before you file.

Deactivated accounts

If your own account was closed, you can still request records through a formal legal request once a case is filed.

Drivers who were assaulted

Some rideshare drivers have also been assaulted by passengers. Those claims usually run against the passenger and sometimes involve workers' compensation or insurance questions rather than the passenger MDLs, which cover riders assaulted by drivers. A driver in that situation should report to police, keep the trip record, and get advice about which claims apply.

Minors riding alone

Both companies' rules generally require riders to be 18 or older unless the ride uses a supervised teen account where one is offered. When a minor rides alone and is assaulted, the claim can raise extra questions about whether the company enforced its own rules.

If you cannot find any record of the ride, an attorney may still be able to identify it through the companies once a case is filed, using the date, pickup area, and payment method.

Write down your own account of the ride as soon as you can, including the pickup and drop-off points, the route, and anything the driver said, and keep it private. Notes made close to the event can help you remember details later.

1. Get safe and get care. RAINN's National Sexual Assault Hotline (800-656-4673) offers free, confidential support.
2. Save the trip record. Screenshot the receipt and trip details in the app before anything changes.
3. Consider a police report and a medical exam; both create records, even if you are unsure about pressing charges.
4. Keep your messages with the company's support team.
5. Do not accept a credit, refund, or settlement offer from Uber or Lyft without legal advice.

A free case review takes about two minutes, is confidential, and can connect you with independent attorneys who handle rideshare assault cases.