Uber is not responsible for sex assault, jury says

More cases to follow for ride-hailing firm

- EMILY STEEL NATALLIE ROCHA

A central question in the cases against Uber is whether it is liable for the transgressions of its drivers.NYT

A California jury on Tuesday found Uber not responsible for the sexual assault that a woman said she experienced during a ride in 2016, an early win for the company as it battles thousands of similar lawsuits across the United States.

The case was the first to go to trial in California state court proceedings that consolidated hundreds of lawsuits against Uber from passengers who claim that their drivers sexually assaulted or harassed them. Consolidating cases allows for certain procedural matters of similar proceedings to be presented before the same judge, while allowing each case to still be tried individually.

The three-week trial involved a woman who ordered a ride to the airport in San Jose, California, a little after 8 pm on a Friday in December 2016. Identified as Jessica C. during the court proceedings to protect her identity, the woman was an 18-year-old college student at the time.