"Uber found liable for sexual assault by driver and ordered to pay victim $8.5m", 06 February 2026

A federal jury in Phoenix ordered Uber on Thursday to pay $8.5m after finding the company liable in a lawsuit brought by a woman who said she was sexually assaulted by a driver.

... [W]as the first trial of more than 3,000 similar lawsuits against Uber that have been consolidated in US federal court.

The jury found that the driver was an agent of Uber, holding the company responsible for his actions.

In a statement, an Uber spokesperson noted that the jury rejected Dean’s other claims, that the company was negligent or that its safety systems were defective...

The company maintains that its drivers are independent contractors rather than employees, and that regardless of their classification it cannot be responsible for actions that fall outside the scope of what could reasonably be considered their duties.