An attempt to hold Uber accountable for sexual harassment of drivers is headed for a vote
Attorneys for California and Uber — longtime courtroom adversaries — are officially bringing their fight to the November election.
A coalition of lawyers and attorneys announced Thursday that it has collected enough signatures to ask voters to support a “first-in-the-nation” law that would make rideshare companies legally liable for sexually assaulting a driver or customer during a ride. Uber has argued that it is not responsible for attacks by drivers, who are considered independent contractors.
“We have to hold Uber accountable today,” Danielle Tudahl, who recounted being sexually harassed and chased by an Uber driver after ordering a ride through the app, said at a news conference in Sacramento. “Californians finally want action to try to close some of these loopholes and put people’s safety over business profits.”
Uber described the ballot measure, sponsored by the California Association of Consumer Advocates, or CAOC, as retaliation for its November ballot measure to cap how much attorneys can earn in California auto collision cases.
“This ballot measure is a ridiculous ploy by billboard advocates,” said Nathan Click, spokesman for A More Affordable California, a coalition backed by Uber. “The CAOC didn’t spend millions putting this on the ballot to protect survivors – their goal is to protect the interests of the board’s attorneys.”
A coalition that supports Uber announced last week that it had collected enough signatures for a measure that would cut attorney’s fees in car crash cases by 25%, among other changes.
Uber says its ballot measure would give victims a significant reduction in their payouts, rather than paying more specifically to lawyers and doctors. Lawyers argue that it will leave thousands of people with small or serious cases without a lawyer because they will not have the money to sue them.
Both sides are preparing for a costly war. Uber donated more than $77 million. The Alliance Against Corporate Abuse, a CAOC-backed coalition pushing for sexual harassment, has raised more than $68 million from law firms across the country, according to campaign finance records.
The money helped pay for billboards that popped up all over LA informing drivers that, according to the New York TimesUber received a report of sexual harassment or misconduct every eight minutes on average between 2017 and 2022. The company was the subject of a series of investigations by the paper into sexual harassment of drivers. The company says it has invested billions in keeping passengers safe and has “done more than any other company to address” sexual violence.
The proposed sexual harassment measure would require ride-hailing companies to notify passengers if the person picking them up has a history of sexual misconduct and conduct fingerprint and background checks on drivers.
The company is currently facing lawsuits from more than 3,000 passengers who say they were sexually assaulted or harassed by Uber drivers. Those cases were consolidated by a federal judge in California.
The bar association also pushed for the proposed plan to do it in vain Uber’s fee-capping measure if successful. Alex Stack, a spokesman for the campaign, said they are “pausing/rescinding” the process “to focus on our fight against sexual harassment and defeating the Uber campaign.”
