Uber, California Regulators Aim to Resolve Assault Probe Dispute

Uber Technologies Inc. will meet with the California Public Utilities Commission to resolve questions that led to a proposed $59 million administrative fine for failing to provide information in a sexual assault probe, an administrative law judge said Monday.

The same judge who ordered the fine to compel Uber to give information on a safety report about sexual assaults and harassment granted the ride hailing company’s August 2020 request for alternative dispute resolution.

Uber has framed the dispute as a privacy fight to protect assault survivors who shared their stories for the industry-first safety report while the commission asserted its authority in the regulator’s probe into whether the company creates risks for passengers and drivers.

Among the questions to discuss during the sessions are how Uber can provide information about the sexual assaults and harassment, and authorship of the safety report in a manner that best protects privacy claims. Other issues include what monetary amount, if any, Uber should pay as part of a joint settlement and what other regulatory sanctions, if any, should be imposed, the order said.

The administrative law judge also invited into the process the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network, which sought to intervene.