Lyft’s ‘Woke’ Image Collides With Rash of Sex Assault Suits (2)

Lyft Inc.’s image as the “woke” ride-hailing company faces a new challenge from a rash of lawsuits filed by women who claim they were sexually assaulted by drivers summoned to take them home after evenings of partying.

Since Aug. 1, seven female passengers have sued the company in San Francisco, its hometown, and lawyers at the women-led firm representing those riders say there are more complaints to come.

Lyft president and co-founder John Zimmer described the startup to Time magazine in 2017 as “woke” in contrast to larger competitor Uber Technologies Inc., which was in the midst of a sex ...