Uber found liable for sexual assault in first of thousands of similar lawsuits

A federal jury in Phoenix has found Uber to be liable for the sexual assault of one of its passengers, potentially setting a precedent for more than 3,000 similar cases consolidated in US federal court. As part of the verdict, Uber has been ordered to pay $8.5 million in damages to the victim, Jaylynn Dean, who said she was raped by her Uber driver during a ride to her hotel in November 2023.

The ridehailing giant has long argued that it cannot be held responsible for the criminal actions of drivers on its platform...