A woman who alleges she was sexually assaulted by an Uber driver in 2017 while she was intoxicated is suing the ride-hailing company.
The woman is identified only as Jane Doe in the Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit filed Wednesday, alleging sexual battery, negligence, negligent infliction of emotional distress and both intentional and negligent misrepresentation. The suit seeks unspecified damages.
"Uber collected and retained a fee for the Uber trip which resulted in a sexual assault...," the suit states.
An Uber representative did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
The plaintiff attended a wedding at a banquet hall in Glendale on Aug. 19, 2017, and became intoxicated, the suit states. A friend arranged for an Uber driver to take the woman to her home less than a mile away, the suit states.
The woman was picked up by the Uber vehicle about 1:10 am. and her friend told the non-English speaking driver in Armenian, "Get her home safe," the suit states.
However, instead of taking the woman home, he drove her to a service station and convinced her to ride in the front seat of his vehicle, saying he wanted to give her some water, the suit states.
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The driver then began trying to kiss the woman on her neck and face despite her protests, the suit states. He then drove her to a side street, stripped off her clothes and inappropriately touched her as she begged to be taken home, according to the complaint.
He later dropped off the plaintiff near her home and drove away, the suit states. But the woman, "hysterical (and) openly weeping," sat at a bus stop, where a passing police officer stopped to check on her and then took her to get medical care, the suit states.
The driver was arrested and charged with three felonies, including sexual battery by restraint, but he failed to appear in court and a bench warrant was issued, the suit states. The plaintiff believes he fled the country, according to her suit.
