Lyft, the ridesharing company we’ve all seen on our phones, is facing multiple lawsuits after several passengers and drivers reported being sexually assaulted during their rides.
These survivors are saying that the company’s negligence made it easier for these assaults to happen. In the cases brought against Lyft, the plaintiffs claim that the company was responsible for not doing enough to protect its passengers.
The three main negligent acts that keep coming up in the Lyft sexual assault lawsuits are inadequate background checks, insufficient safety monitoring, and ineffective resolution of sexual assault claims.
1. Inadequate Background Checks of Lyft Drivers
Lyft promises us that they screen their drivers carefully. They say they do background checks, looking for things like criminal records, especially any history of sexual offenses.
However, the truth is that the company doesn’t actually handle the background checks themselves. Instead, they outsource them to a third-party company called Checkr, which is the same service Uber uses.
Now, the problem with this is that the background check process is pretty basic. Drivers don’t need to meet in person or undergo fingerprint checks (which could help spot criminal activity).
They just have to provide their personal info, like their Social Security Number, and that’s it. This means a lot of shady characters could get through the system, either by lying or by having their criminal past overlooked. If someone has a dangerous criminal history, like sexual assault, they could slip through the cracks. And that’s exactly what happened in these cases.
By not using more thorough screening methods, Lyft failed to protect passengers from potentially dangerous drivers. The plaintiffs argue that this system was designed to make the application process faster and easier, but in doing so, it put people’s safety at risk.
It’s clear that Lyft could have done more to make sure they weren’t hiring people who would harm their riders.
2. Insufficient Safety Monitoring Protocol
Once you’re in a Lyft, the company should make sure you’re safe from the moment you step into that car until the ride ends. However, Lyft doesn’t have many safety features that could help protect passengers or drivers during rides.
For example, Lyft has chosen not to make dashcams or in-car recording devices mandatory. This would be a simple way to have a record of what happens during a ride, especially in the event of an assault. Also, the company didn’t require drivers to sync their GPS with the app, which would have allowed Lyft to track where the driver was going. This could have helped prevent situations where a driver took someone to an unsafe location or followed them home.
Without these safety features, drivers could do whatever they wanted without the company knowing. This leaves room for things like abductions, sexual assaults, and other dangerous actions to happen without any way for Lyft to trace or stop them.
Aside from the passengers, drivers themselves can also be at risk, especially when they’re on the road alone.
3. Ineffective Resolution of Sexual Assault Claims
When something as serious as a sexual assault happens, Lyft should be there to support the victim and ensure that justice is served. But according to many of the plaintiffs, that’s not what happened at all. Survivors of sexual assault by Lyft drivers have said that the company’s response was slow, ineffective, or even dismissive.
Lyft has stated that they have a 24/7 hotline and that they suspend drivers’ accounts when allegations of sexual assault arise. However, plaintiffs say that’s not enough. They report that after they reported assaults, Lyft did very little to hold the drivers accountable.
In fact, in some cases, victims were paired with their attackers again, weeks after the incident, without any meaningful action taken.
Survivors have also said that Lyft hasn’t been transparent or cooperative with law enforcement. The company is known for refusing to share crucial information with police unless they get a court order, making it harder for criminal cases to move forward.
Imagine reporting an assault and then being told that nothing will happen unless you go through the legal system, even when the company has all the information they need to act.
This just makes the whole situation worse for the survivors, who, not only have to deal with the trauma, but also face the fear of having their attackers out there, who are still working as Lyft drivers.
