Uber Sued by Women Over Sexual Assault Claims

A California law firm says that San Francisco-based Uber should be held responsible for hundreds of sexual assaults.

In a newly filed civil lawsuit, victims claim the ride hailing company was aware of the criminal conduct of its drivers as early as 2014. But it has not done enough to prevent attacks on riders.

There are many allegations and according to Slater Slater Schulman firm, the law firm involved with the complaint, there needs to be much more that Uber could be doing to protect riders.

They include alleged incidents in California, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. So far, legal action has been filed on behalf of at least a dozen women, though the law firm claimed it has more than 500 victims it now represents.

Dean Johnson, a legal analyst and trial lawyer, is not involved in the case but he said it’s important to note this lawsuit is in the early stages and a lot can happen.

“I think it’s going to come down to very basic tort law. The plaintiffs are going to say 'given how broad this phenomenon is. Uber knew or should have known there was a problem.' Uber’s response is going to be that 'we only have to do what’s reasonable and what we have done is reasonable to expect us to do more is beyond what the law requires,'” he said.

In a statement, Adam Slater, the plaintiff’s attorney said Uber’s whole business model “is predicated on giving people a safer ride home but rider safety was never their concern, growth was, at the expense of their passenger’s safety.”

Uber did not respond to NBC Bay Area’s request for comment Thursday.

You can read the full story on CNBC.