Uber Liable for Driver's Assault, Jury Awards $5K

0:00It's April 21st. This is Canada News Today, powered by AI. I'm Cory with the story. A jury in North Carolina just held Uber responsible for a driver who grabbed a passengers in her thigh and asked to keep her with him as she left the car. They awarded her $5,000 in damages for battery. This marks the third such case to hit trial out of a bunch filed nationwide. Earlier this year in Arizona, another jury hit Uber with an $8.5 million payout after a driver raped a rider. Last year in California though, Uber walked away not liable in a similar claim. This North Carolina verdict is what they call a bellweather case, testing the waters for the rest. Uber's plane to cool, pointing out the tiny award compared to big demands and saying they've got solid appeal grounds since the jury instructions on. Liability were off. The plaintiff's lawyer sees it as a win, noting Uber picked this exact case thinking they'd crush it. But the jury sided with her story backed by, friend's testimony.

1:00These suits stem from years of Uber safety gripes, with thousands of assault reports from riders and drivers alike. The company treats drivers as contractors to dodge blame, but the judge ruled Uber acts like a common carrier under North Carolina law, making them on. The hook for passenger safety. Two more test trials in line of soon, one mid-September in San Francisco, as this legal battle keeps rolling against the rideshare king.