A federal jury in Phoenix has found Uber liable in a sexual assault lawsuit, ordering the ride-hailing company to pay $8.5 million to a woman who said she was raped by her driver.
The verdict, reached Thursday, marks the first trial in more than 3,000 similar cases now pending against Uber in federal court and could shape how those claims move forward.
The case was brought by Jaylynn Dean, an Oklahoma resident who sued Uber in 2023, about a month after the alleged assault in Arizona.
Jurors decided that the driver who assaulted Dean was acting as an agent of Uber, making the company responsible for his actions.
While the jury awarded $8.5 million in compensatory damages, it declined to grant punitive damages. Dean's lawyers had asked for more than $140 million, NY Post reported.
This trial served as a "bellwether," meaning it was chosen to test key legal arguments and help both sides understand how juries might view the larger group of lawsuits.
All of the federal cases have been consolidated under US District Judge Charles Breyer, who oversaw Dean's trial in Phoenix and is managing the rest from San Francisco.
Uber responded by stressing that the jury rejected other major claims in the case. A company spokesperson said jurors did not find Uber negligent and did not agree that its safety systems were defective.
The spokesperson added that Uber plans to appeal, saying, "This verdict affirms that Uber acted responsibly and has invested meaningfully in rider safety."
Uber ordered to pay woman $8.5M in first trial over driver sex assault claims https://t.co/li4iyHSGZV pic.twitter.com/ybmeZeczqL
— New York Post (@nypost) February 6, 2026
Lawsuit Details Alleged Assault During Uber Ride
Dean's legal team saw the outcome differently. Her attorney, Sarah London, said the decision "validates the thousands of survivors who have come forward at great personal risk to demand accountability against Uber for its focus on profit over passenger safety."
According to TheGuardian, another lawyer for Dean, Alexandra Walsh, argued during closing statements that Uber promoted itself as a safe option for women traveling at night.
"They made us believe that this was a place that was safe from that," Walsh told the jury.
According to the lawsuit, Dean was intoxicated when she ordered an Uber to take her from her boyfriend's home to her hotel. She alleged that the driver asked harassing questions, stopped the car, and raped her.
Uber argued that it should not be held responsible for criminal acts by drivers, saying its drivers are independent contractors and that such conduct was not foreseeable.
An Uber attorney noted the driver had no criminal history, nearly 10,000 trips, and a high rating.
The verdict had an immediate market impact, with Uber shares slipping 0.5% in extended trading.
Originally published on vcpost.com
