Overview
- A federal jury in North Carolina, ruling Monday, found Uber liable for battery and awarded $5,000 after a driver grabbed a rider’s inner thigh during a 2019 trip.
- The judge overseeing the bellwethers ruled Uber is a common carrier under North Carolina law, which makes the company responsible for the driver’s conduct.
- Uber said it will appeal, arguing the jury received the wrong instructions on liability.
- The North Carolina result follows a February Arizona bellwether where jurors awarded $8.5 million to a woman who said an Uber driver raped her.
- These early trials help set values for about 3,300 consolidated federal claims and more than 500 related cases in California, shaping potential settlement talks and strategy.