According to a press release from the women's attorneys, the civil action suit, filed in San Francisco County Superior Court, includes claims from women in multiple states. Another 150 claims against the company are currently being investigated.
Attorney Adam Slater claims in the news release that Uber's business model prioritized company growth over customer safety.
"Uber's entire business model is predicated on providing people with a safe ride home, but rider safety was never their concern - growth was," Slater said in the release. "While the company has acknowledged the sexual assault crisis in recent years, its actual response has been slow and insufficient, with tragic consequences."
According to an Uber spokesperson, the law firm representing the passengers, Slater Slater Schulman LLP, has filed 12 cases against the company as of Thursday, alleging that it has not provided critical incident details to identify a link to the ride-hailing platform.
The company stated that it takes "every single report seriously."
"There is nothing more important than safety," the statement said. "That is why Uber has built new safety features, established survivor-centric policies, and been more transparent about serious incidents." "While we cannot comment on pending litigation, we will continue to prioritize safety in our work."
Uber released its second-ever U.S. safety report last month, detailing reported sexual assaults, traffic fatalities, and other incidents that occurred during ride-sharing trips. The report, which covered 2019 and 2020, was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the company.
It comes after the first safety report, which was released in 2019 and covered incidents from the previous two years.
In total, 3,824 incidents "across the five most severe categories of sexual assault and misconduct" were discovered on its U.S. platform in 2019-2020, with 20 people killed in assaults and 101 killed in crashes.
"Behind every data point is a personal experience, and sometimes pain and loss, that must be acknowledged," the company stated in a press release. "That is why we continue to invest in safety, developing new features to aid in incident prevention and challenging the entire industry to raise the safety bar."
According to the lawsuit, Uber's focus on passenger safety came too late for many victims, and driver misconduct continues on the company's watch.
Attorneys cited Uber executives' long-standing reluctance to fingerprint prospective drivers in a press release. Uber, according to Slater, "has a longstanding policy of not reporting any criminal activity to law enforcement."
"There is so much more Uber can do to protect riders: adding cameras to deter assaults, conducting more thorough background checks on drivers, and developing a warning system when drivers fail to stay on a path to a destination," Slater said. "But the company refuses, which is why my firm has 550 clients with Uber claims and is investigating at least 150 more."
"Acknowledging the problem through safety reports is insufficient," Slater continued. "It's past time for Uber to take concrete steps to protect its customers.""
The release suggests that survivors of sexual assault seeking resources call 800-656-HOPE (4673) to be connected with a trained staffer from a supportive service provider in their area.