A federal jury in Arizona on Thursday found that Uber must pay out $8.5 million to a plaintiff who alleged a driver working for the company raped her in 2023.
The verdict may open the way for similar cases to proceed. The trial concluded Thursday was the first of six test cases that could show whether thousands more may be argued or decided in a similar fashion.
More than 3,000 women have sued Uber, claiming the company failed to properly vet drivers. Uber says 99.9% of trips in 2021 and 2022 ended without any safety reports.
That comes to a total of 2,717 incidents of sexual assault or misconduct between 2021 and 2022. Uber says that represents about one out of every 700,000 trips.
The lawsuits accuse the company of inadequate background checks and failing to train drivers on sexual harassment prevention.
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But the jury on Thursday did not find that Uber's decisions had caused serious risk.
In a statement following the verdict, Uber said the decision shows that it "acted responsibly and has invested meaningfully in rider safety."
The company plans to appeal the verdict.
