Uber sued by 550 women over sexual assault claims

[CharlieH]

 

Uber is being sued in the US by 550 women who were allegedly assaulted by drivers on the ride-hailing platform.

The filing includes allegations women passengers "were kidnapped, sexually assaulted, sexually battered, raped, falsely imprisoned, stalked, harassed, or otherwise attacked by Uber drivers".

The case was filed at the San Francisco County Superior Court on Wednesday.

"Sexual assault is a horrific crime and we take every single report seriously," an Uber spokesperson told the BBC.

 

Full Story

 

[Bluespunk]

Uber really is a nasty company to be avoided at all costs. 

[Rimmer]

An off topic post has been removed

[VocalNeal]

Had to be the US???? Land of Litigation. (against anyone with money)

[KanchanaburiGuy]

Uber is a logistics company that makes connections between "Independent Contractor" drivers and people who want/need a ride.

 

The drivers work WITH Uber, not FOR Uber. 

 

Because the drivers do not work FOR Uber and their status as "Indepedent Contractors"............not "Employees"............ has been upheld in California, I expect this suit will get tossed by the courts.

 

In this case, Uber is being sued only because they are the "deep pockets." But Uber cannot be held liable for something done by another business.

 

Each "Independent Contractor" driver operates their own separate and distinct business from Uber, and, as an independent business, is responsible for their own actions.

 

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The very first criteria the government uses to determine whether a person is an "Independent Contractor" or an "Employee" is whether the company has control over when and how the worker does their job.

 

* Does Uber decide when a driver can work? No.

 

They merely inform available drivers that work is available, and the drivers themselves decide whether they want to do it.

 

* Does Uber dictate to drivers how the work must be done? No.

 

Uber has established miminim quality standards only, which they maintain and reinforce through customer satisfaction ratings.

 

Ultimately, Uber is more like an advertising medium than  "taxi company." They make a connection between customers and businesses, letting the customers know a service they want is available.

 

Newspaper advertsing, magazine advertising, radio and T.V. advertising, etc., all help businesses find customers. That's what Uber does, too. They help customers find rides, and help independent businesses find customers.

 

But no one would think to sue CNN because they found cockroach eyelashes in their  Choka-Cola, just because Choka-Cola happens to buy advertising on their network, would they?

 

Nah, Uber is just an easy target with deep pockets. But they are not responsible for the actions of drivers who are not employees, who work for themselves.

 

Look for this case to get tossed.