A 23-year-old Northern California woman who claims an Uber driver kicked her out of the car after she vomited and that she was then sexually assaulted by two strangers is suing the rideshare company, according to multiple media reports.
The lawsuit, filed Monday in San Francisco Superior Court, alleges the incident unfolded May 28 after a concert. The young woman, identified only as “Jane Doe,” was picked up by the rideshare driver who was supposed to take her to her home in Sacramento.
After vomiting in the vehicle, the driver stopped short of her destination and reportedly left her near an abandoned building in Oak Park some eight miles from her Rosemont neighborhood after circling other safer locations, including a hospital in the area.
The suit further alleges, the L.A. Times reported, that the area was visibly unsafe and that her cellphone and keys were left in the backseat of the Uber.
Two strangers, a man and woman, according to the suit, approached the woman and offered her a ride home if she paid them. After getting in their vehicle, the driver instead drove her to an apartment and sexually assaulted her at knifepoint, the lawsuit alleges.
Doe claims she was able to escape to a nearby school the next morning while the man was asleep. She was then hospitalized and reported the alleged incident to the Sacramento Police Department.
On May 31, according to the lawsuit, the woman’s mother contacted Uber about the ordeal and was not told that the company would contact the driver or investigate the complaint in any way. Instead, the company thanked her for reporting the incident and provided links to sexual assault hotlines.
One of Doe’s attorneys, Sarvenaz Fahimi, said in a statement obtained by The Times that no one should ever have to experience what her client went through.
“Uber utterly failed to deliver the most basic duties it owed to this young woman. Even worse, Uber didn’t care when the incident was reported. While Uber advertises to passengers who drink and heavily profits from such passengers, it cannot arbitrarily abandon them — Uber cannot have it both ways,” the attorney added.
Asked by the outlet for comment, an Uber spokesperson said that while the company doesn’t comment on pending litigation, it is committed to the well-being and safety of all its customers.
“What this individual experienced is heartbreaking, and our thoughts are with them,” the spokesperson added.
The post California woman abandoned by Uber driver for vomiting sexually assaulted, suit claims appeared first on KTLA.
