Uber faces lawsuits from female passengers who say drivers harassed or assaulted them and the company failed to prevent it. The federal cases are grouped in multidistrict litigation, a procedure that moves similar federal lawsuits together for pretrial rulings, as MDL No. 3084 before Judge Charles Breyer in California.
This page explains the claims, the size of the case, key rulings, and practical limits for readers seeking compensation. It covers U.S. litigation and a separate Australian investigation.
Table of Contents
- What do passengers allege?
- How large is the federal litigation?
- Which rulings affect liability?
- Can you claim compensation now?
- What can riders do after an incident?
What do passengers allege?
According to Justia's summary of a March 2025 federal appeals opinion, plaintiffs claim Uber knew of assault risk since at least 2014 and failed to take reasonable preventive steps Justia summary of the opinion. They assert negligence, misrepresentation, products liability and vicarious liability.
The core argument is about systems, not one driver. Plaintiffs say screening, warnings, complaint handling and safety design fell short. Vicarious liability asks whether Uber answers for a driver's assault during a trip.
How large is the federal litigation?
Best Law Firms reports the cases were centralized in October 2023 before Judge Breyer in the Northern District of California Best Law Firms analysis. It reports nearly 3,400 federal cases pending in spring 2026. Counts differ by source and period. Uber says its third U.S.
Safety Report covers 2021–2022 trips and discloses serious incidents for accountability. King Law summaries cite 2,717 sexual-assault reports in 2021–2022 and 12,522 serious sexual-misconduct incidents for 2017–2022. An August 2025 New York Times review of sealed records, described by HR Grapevine, reported 400,181 U.S. reports in 2017–2022, about one nearly every eight minutes.
Which rulings affect liability?
A bellwether trial, a test case used to gauge other cases, matters here. AboutLawsuits reports that a February 5, 2026 Arizona federal jury awarded $8.5 million to a woman alleging driver rape after finding the driver was Uber's apparent agent AboutLawsuits report.
On April 10, 2026, Judge Breyer ruled Uber is a common carrier with a non-delegable duty to carry passengers safely, according to Best Law Firms Best Law Firms analysis. Common carrier means a transport provider held to a higher safety duty. Calling drivers independent contractors does not defeat that duty under the ruling.
Can you claim compensation now?
The U.S. material describes pending lawsuits and test trials, not an open settlement fund with a filing deadline. Readers should track the MDL, not a claims administrator, for any future eligibility rules.
Australian readers face a different limit. WhichCar reports Slater and Gordon began investigating a potential Australian class action in October 2026 over systems, screening and complaint handling. As of October 28, 2026, no Australian class action had commenced and no liability finding had been made.
What can riders do after an incident?
Save trip details promptly. Keep screenshots of receipt, route, driver name, time and messages.
Seek medical care and preserve evidence before seeking legal advice about options. Uber points riders to its Safety Toolkit for in-trip help. The company says riders can report discreetly and reach 911 through the app:.
- Open Safety Toolkit during the trip
- Use discreet reporting for a safety issue
- Contact 911 through the app in an emergency