Uber Liable for Driver's Assault, Jury Rules

0:00A federal jury in Charlotte, North Carolina just ruled that Uber is on the hook for a driver who grabbed a passenger's inner thigh and asked if he could keep her with him. They awarded her $5,000 in damages for battery. This marks the third sexual assault case against Uber to hit trial. It's a bell-weathered trial in a wave of lawsuits across the country. Back in February, an Arizona jury hit Uber with $8.5 million after a driver raped a rider. Last year, though, a California jury let Uber off the hook in a similar claim, Uber's playing a cool, pointing out the tiny award compared to huge demands and saying they've got solid appeal grounds since the jury instructions, on liability were off. The plaintiffs' lawyer fires back that Uber picked this very case as their best shot and still lost, which bodes well for the rest. These suits them from years of safety gripes, with thousands of assaults reported by riders and drivers alike. A judge ruled Uber counts as a common carrier under North Carolina law because of how they

1:03advertise and control rides, making them liable no matter. The gig worker status. Two more test cases are lined up in federal court, starting mid-September in San Francisco, as this legal battle keeps rolling against the rideshare. Giant Local News, powered by AI. This is Durham News Today. I'm Corey with The Story.