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Lyft hit with 18 new lawsuits by riders
The San Francisco-based rideshare company Lyft is facing 18 major new lawsuits brought by passengers and drivers, who were each survivors of sexual assault or victims of physical assault while using Lyft.
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif, - San Francisco-based Lyft is facing nearly 20 lawsuits filed by people who say they were sexually or physically assaulted while using the ride share. The plaintiffs say the company isn’t doing enough to keep people safe.
The attorneys in this case are calling this a national crisis. On Wednesday,v 18 people from multiple states including California, have filed a lawsuit or requested arbitration against Lyft.
"When we pulled up to my boyfriend’s house, the driver locked the doors, turned around, and grabbed my phone and sexually assaulted me," said Katherine Rasta, a Lyft rider.
Their stories range from sexual assault to false imprisonment to assault with a deadly weapon. The lawsuits filed against Lyft on Wednesday include 14 sexual assault cases and four people who say they were physically assaulted.
"It really takes a law degree and a whole lot of time to read through the pages and pages of legalese that you’re actually agreeing to, when you sign up to use Lyft, either as a driver or a passenger. There are no real protections for anyone who is attacked," said Attorney Tracey Cowan, with Peiffer, Wolf, Carr, Kane, Conway and Wise, the law firm representing the plaintiffs,
Cowan says sexual assault is the rare loophole in which people are allowed to sue Lyft and all other cases must go through arbitration.
In response to the lawsuits, Lyft released this statement, saying in part:
"Over the years we have introduced numerous safety measures in order to address safety incidents on our platform including Share Location, Emergency Help by ADT, Smart Trip Check-In, two way feedback system, contact protection, the Industry Sharing Safety Program, and more." - Lyft
"My name is Amy Collins and I’m from Napa, CA. As difficult as this is, I know it’s really important for me to speak up and make my voice heard. It’s time for Lyft to take responsibility so no one else has to go through what I experienced," Collins said during the virtual press conference.
The attorneys say people continue to be attacked, and a few of the plaintiffs decided it was time to speak out about what happened to them.
"I was scared for my life and hers too. She hit me with an object in my lips and my face so I started bleeding. Blood was just gushing out everywhere," said Stella Grant, a Lyft driver.
"As a result of the assault, my brain shifted in my skull, becoming the cause of the bleed. The doctors took me off the blood thinner which resulted in a blood clot in my abdomen."
Twelve other people, 10 of who were sexually assaulted, also filed lawsuits and arbitrations Wednesday but chose to keep their stories private.
Cowan says they’d like to see Lyft use stronger background checks for drivers and have portable cameras in every car that drives for Lyft. She also says they plan to file several other lawsuits against Lyft in the near future.