Uber Will Face Trial in California Rider Sexual Assault Cases

Uber Technologies Inc. will face its first ever jury trial in a group of cases from passengers who allege the ride-hailing giant failed to protect them from being sexually assaulted by drivers.

Judge Ethan P. Schulman of the San Francisco Superior Court, in a ruling late Thursday, rejected Uber’s arguments that it doesn’t have a legal duty to protect its passengers, finding that the app is a common carrier akin to a passenger train or taxi cab service.

Under California law, a common carrier must provide the “utmost care and diligence” to its passengers, the judge said.

The first of four bellwether jury trials is set for Sept. 8.

The case is a consolidated state court proceeding containing over 500 individual lawsuits from California passengers who were assaulted by their Uber drivers. It parallels federal multidistrict litigation in the US District Court for the Northern District of California that contains thousands of similar assault cases from across the country.

The case is In re Uber Rideshare Cases, Cal. Super. Ct., No. CJC-21-005188, 7/31/25.