KAI PFAFFENBACH/REUTERS Court records say Uber failed to properly check the background of a driver accused of rape, and then ignored the woman accusing him. Uber has collided with the law once again.
A woman in New Dehli, India who says she was raped by an Uber driver there in December is suing the ride-share company in U.S. federal court.
The suit, filed Thursday, asks for unspecified damages for the woman, who is called Jane Doe in the criminal complaint.
It also demands the company rev up its background checks, put cameras in its cars and let customers request female drivers.
The complaint, obtained by the Daily News, says Uber failed to properly check the background of the accused driver, Shiv Kumar Yadav.
If it had, Uber officials would have learned Yadav had previous arrests for rape and assault and used false documentation when applying to be a driver. The company also ignored previous complaints from female drivers about Yadav’s conduct.
The complaint says Yadav picked the woman up on Dec. 5 to give her a ride from a restaurant to her home about an hour away.
After the woman fell asleep, Yadav allegedly drove her to a secluded area, locked the doors and raped the woman while also choking her, biting her and threatening to insert a metal rod in her.
The alleged attack lasted up to 45 minutes, and the company should have noticed that one of its drivers went off course and remained inactive for so long, the complaint says.
After news of the alleged assault broke, the San Francisco-based company said in a statement it “must do better” to monitor its drivers.
But the complaint says Uber has “shunned and avoided” all contact with the woman after swearing to help her.
Uber service disappeared from Delhi days after the woman reported Yadav, but returned weeks later.
When that happened, Uber sent the woman a mass email saying the service was ready “to serve you again” and offering a discount on rides.
One of the woman’s lawyers, Douglas Wigdor, likened Uber to “modern day electronic hitchhiking” and said it puts profits before passenger safety.
Wigdor told the Daily News he discussed stronger safety measures with members of Uber and they “made no efforts” to follow through.
Uber’s lawyers did not immediately return calls for comment.
The company said in an email statement that its “deepest sympathies remain with the victim of this horrific crime.”
Women in Boston, Los Angeles, Chicago and several other cities have previously accused Uber drivers of rape, and the company is operating illegally in several major cities worldwide.
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