Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

More than 30 women are suing Lyft, saying the company didn't do enough to protect them from sexual assault and kidnapping

More than 30 women are suing Lyft, saying the company didn't do enough to protect them from sexual assault and kidnapping

Lyft is facing lawsuits from at least 34 women who accuse the ride-hailing company of enabling a sexual assault "epidemic."The women say they are victims of sexual assault, rape, or kidnapping by Lyft drivers. The majority of the alleged assaults took place in the last two years. The number of plaintiffs in these lawsuits has more than doubled since September, when 14 victims filed an initial suit against Lyft.
Lyft has maintained that the company takes safety seriously and permanently bans drivers accused of assault.
At least 34 women have joined lawsuits against Lyft, saying that they were victims of assault, kidnapping, or rape by Lyft drivers and that the ride-hailing app didn't do enough to keep them safe.

The number of victims suing Lyft has more than doubled since August, when 14 women filed an initial suit against the company. In addition to the 34 plaintiffs, one lawyer told CNET she has spoken to more than 70 women who say they've been sexually assaulted by Lyft drivers.

Court documents filed in California's Supreme Court claim that Lyft enabled "a sexual predator crisis," alleging that the company "has been fully aware of these continuing apps by sexual predators driving for Lyft."

For its part, Lyft has maintained that it takes riders' safety seriously and takes immediate action to ban drivers accused of sexual assault. The company has recently brought on expert partners including the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network to advise it on rider safet, a spokesperson told Business Insider.

"Not a day goes by when we aren't thinking about the safety of our platform. We continuously invest in new products, policies, and features to further strengthen Lyft as we strive to keep drivers and riders safe on our platform. In 2019, we've launched more than 15 new safety features - including daily continuous background check monitoring, in-app emergency assistance, and mandatory feedback for any ride rated less than four stars," the Lyft spokesperson said in a statement.

Alison Turkos, one of the plaintiffs in the initial suit filed in August, says she hailed a Lyft in the fall of 2017. When she got in the car, the driver pointed a gun at her. The incident is now being investigated as a human-trafficking case by the FBI.

"My Lyft driver kidnapped me at gunpoint, drove me across state lines, and, along with at least two other men, gang raped me," Turkos wrote in a Medium post. "Lyft callously forced me to pay $12.81 for my kidnapping and rape and has allowed a predator to continue driving for not months, but years."

A Lyft spokesperson told CNET that Turkos' driver was permanently banned, but did not specify when the ban was enacted.

Plaintiff lawyers have alleged that, while sexual assaults by drivers of competitor apps like Uber are also common, Lyft has a worse record of working with victims.

"The attitude of Lyft and the attorneys that they've hired to work on their behalf has been very aggressive and, in my opinion, bush league tactics," Michael Bomberger, a lawyer representing one of the plaintiffs, told CNET. "They came at us like they're an 800-pound gorilla and they're gonna smash us."
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
Intel Reports Revenue Beats but Sees 81% Rise in Losses
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
Tulsi Gabbard Unveils Evidence Alleging Political Manipulation of Intelligence During Trump Administration
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Trump Announces Coca-Cola to Shift to Cane Sugar in U.S. Production
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
Moonshot AI Unveils Kimi K2: A New Open-Source AI Model
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
×