What the Lawsuits Allege
The litigation involves thousands of passengers, predominantly women, who allege they were sexually assaulted or harassed by Uber drivers, and that Uber failed to implement adequate safety measures such as effective driver background checks and in-app protections despite being aware of the risk. The federal cases are consolidated as MDL 3084, the In re Uber Technologies Passenger Sexual Assault Litigation, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, with several thousand cases pending and several hundred more in a coordinated proceeding in California state court.
Uber has denied liability. Among other arguments, it has contended that it is a technology company rather than a common carrier and that it should not be held responsible for the criminal acts of independent contractor drivers, and it maintains that assaults are rare relative to total rides. The allegations are contested and are being tested case by case.
Why It Is Not a Class Action
A common misunderstanding is that this is a class action. It is not. It is a multidistrict litigation, which consolidates many individual lawsuits before one judge for shared pretrial proceedings while each plaintiff keeps a separate claim valued on its own facts. That structure matters, because there is no single class settlement that would automatically divide among everyone; each survivor case is its own.
In 2024, the court rejected Uber argument that passengers gave up the right to participate by agreeing to the app terms, and in 2025 the judge allowed certain product-liability claims focused on the safety of the app design to move toward trial while dismissing some other claims. Those rulings kept the core of the litigation alive.
The First Verdicts and What They Show
The first bellwether trials have produced very different results, which underscores that outcomes depend heavily on the specific facts. In the first federal bellwether, decided in early 2026, a jury found Uber liable under an apparent-agency theory and awarded 8.5 million dollars to a passenger who alleged she was raped by a driver, though the jury did not find Uber negligent in its safety practices and declined punitive damages. In a second bellwether shortly after, a different jury found a driver committed battery but awarded only 5,000 dollars.
The gap between those two outcomes is the point: bellwether verdicts test how juries react, and they vary enormously. There is no approved global settlement, so these are not amounts anyone can simply claim. Because deadlines for assault claims vary by state and can be unforgiving, and because the legal theories are still being shaped, an individual consultation is the appropriate step for any survivor considering a claim.
How to Get Legal Help
If you or a family member fits the description here, a consultation with a lawyer who handles this specific litigation is the reliable next step. Deadlines vary and can be unforgiving, most of these firms offer a free review, and these cases are typically taken on contingency, so you pay nothing unless they recover for you.
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Uber Assault Lawsuit: The MDL Status and Early Verdicts: Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to the most common questions about this case and your legal options.
What do the Uber assault lawsuits allege?
That passengers were sexually assaulted or harassed by Uber drivers and that Uber failed to implement adequate safety measures, such as effective background checks and in-app protections, despite knowing of the risk. Uber denies liability.
Is the Uber assault lawsuit a class action?
No. It is a multidistrict litigation, or MDL, which consolidates individual lawsuits before one judge for shared pretrial proceedings while each plaintiff keeps a separate claim valued on its own facts. There is no single class settlement.
Where are the cases handled?
The federal cases are consolidated as MDL 3084 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, with several thousand pending, plus several hundred more in a coordinated proceeding in California state court.
What were the first verdicts?
In the first federal bellwether in early 2026, a jury awarded 8.5 million dollars under an apparent-agency theory, though it did not find Uber negligent in safety practices and declined punitive damages. A second bellwether shortly after awarded 5,000 dollars. Outcomes vary widely.
Can I file a claim and is there a deadline?
There is no approved global settlement to claim from, but individual claims continue. Deadlines for assault claims vary by state and can be unforgiving, and the legal theories are still developing, so a prompt individual consultation is important.