Overview
- A second federal jury trial is underway in Charlotte, North Carolina, under U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer as a bellwether for claims that Uber drivers assaulted riders.
- The plaintiff says a driver in March 2019 grabbed her inner thigh at her Raleigh drop-off, asked if he could keep it with him, and she ran from the car.
- Uber argues it is a technology platform rather than a common carrier under North Carolina law and that drivers are independent contractors, and it says this incident was not reported at the time.
- More than 3,300 similar lawsuits are consolidated in federal court, and the Charlotte verdict will help set values that could guide any large-scale settlement talks.
- Earlier trials show split signals, with an $8.5 million Arizona award that Uber is seeking to overturn and a California state case that found its safety lapses were not a substantial cause of harm.