Technology
Woman says Lyft driver raped her then added $25 tip to ride
On Wednesday, 14 women filed a class-action lawsuit against Lyft, alleging they had been sexually assaulted by the app’s drivers and that the company hasn’t done enough to address a “sexual predator crisis.”
Perhaps one of the more startling examples mentioned in the case comes from the anonymous fifth victim, listed as 23-year-old Jane Roe 5.
Jane Roe 5 had recently moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, the night of May 29, when she ordered a Lyft to drive her back to her hotel room because she was too intoxicated to drive.
During the drive, she said the driver named “Sam” sexually assaulted her en route to her destination, according to the lawsuit.
Once they got to her hotel, she said the driver followed her in, raped her again, and the stole all of her belongings.
After the assault, she said he opened the Lyft app on her phone and paid himself a $25 tip for the ride.
She said she believes that the driver deactivated or deleted her account since she was not able to log in after she got a new phone.
Jane Roe 5 said she reported the incident to Lyft’s Trust & Safety Team, calling them and leaving emails. She said Lyft was unresponsive to her emails.
When she first went to Lyft, she said the T&S Team said they couldn’t re-activate her account, but eventually they found a way to. However, she said they never told her whether the driver was banned from the app and the lawsuit alleges he “may still be driving for Lyft.”
Police are also investigating the incident and “are currently working on obtaining a court order/search warrant to Lyft to obtain the driver information,” the lawsuit said.
Jane Roe 5 said she had just moved to Charlotte to “start a new life and career,” but “everything has since fallen apart” due to the alleged rape.
“Plaintiff has sought therapy as a result of this incident and is now suicidal and completely unraveled from the rape,” the lawsuit states.
If you are a survivor of sexual assault, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE (4673) or visit hotline.rainn.org/onlineand receive confidential support.
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