Lawsuit claims Lyft failed to protect passengers and drivers from sexual, physical assaults

The San Francisco-based rideshare company Lyft is facing 17 major new lawsuits filed by passengers and drivers, including a Chicago resident, who are survivors of sexual assault or victims of physical assault that allegedly occurred while using Lyft. 

Three of the sexual assault survivors and two of the physical assault victims shared their stories publicly during a video-based news conference Wednesday.

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Attorneys are calling Lyft's lack of safety a "national crisis."

Legal Action has been filed by plaintiffs from Arizona, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin.

"Nothing can undo the pain and suffering they endured, but it’s their hope that by sharing their stories, they can make Lyft hear them, force Lyft to protect its users, and drastically reduce the number of violent acts during Lyft rides in the future," Tracey Cowan, partner at Peiffer Wolf Carr Kane Conway & Wise (Peiffer Wolf), said. 

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(Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

One of the plaintiffs who spoke out was Stella Grant, a Lyft driver and physical assault victim from Chicago.

Grant said she picked up a passenger on Aug. 30, 2021. 

The passenger's name was different from the one shown on the ride request, Grant said.

Grant then attempted to confirm the passenger's identity during that time, and said that the passenger was intoxicated.

According to Grant, the passenger started cursing at her and began punching her in the head, face, back and shoulder, so she called 911.

The passenger then allegedly lunged forward and grabbed the steering wheel from the backseat while Grant was still driving the vehicle. The vehicle then crashed.

Grant says the passenger struck her in the face with a sharp object — cutting a deep gash.

She says she had to go to the emergency room due to profuse bleeding.

According to Grant, the assault left her with back pain, which interfered with her ability to drive. She says this has impacted her ability to provide for herself and her kids.

Her doctor recommended physical therapy for her back, but she said she could not afford treatment. 

"After losing my job due to the Covid-19 pandemic, a friend told me about driving for Lyft so I could continue to pay my bills and take care of my two sons," said Grant. "This whole incident has affected me mentally, financially, and emotionally. I’m scared to look at my mirror because the scar reminds me of being attacked. I’m scared to drive for Lyft because I’m scared of being attacked by a Lyft passenger again," said Grant.

On Wednesday, Lyft addressed the lawsuits, saying:

"We’re committed to helping keep drivers and riders safe. While safety incidents on our platform are incredibly rare, we realize that even one is too many," said a Lyft spokesperson. "Our goal is to make every Lyft ride as safe as possible, and we will continue to take action and invest in technology, policies and partnerships to do so."

Additionally, Lyft said the company has "instituted processes" that will detect and take action against "unsafe rider behavior."

This includes temporarily and permanently deactivating accounts, blocking users for creating new accounts and requiring riders to submit additional information before requesting a ride.

Lyft says that every single driver on the platform must go through a screening, which requires a background check. Additionally, the driver will have to submit to a background check every year they drive and continuous criminal monitoring.

Any driver who does not pass the initial, annual and continuous screenings is barred from the platform.

The attorneys for the plaintiffs allege that Lyft knows about the danger their app poses for drivers and passengers and they continue to operate without adequate background checks and screenings. 

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