Woman kicked out of Uber was then sexually assaulted in Sacramento, lawsuit says
An intoxicated woman riding in an Uber was forced out of the vehicle by her driver, who is accused of abandoning her near a gas station in Sacramento without her phone or keys before she was violently sexually assaulted, according to a lawsuit against the ride-sharing company.
The Uber driver kicked the 23-year-old out of the car after she became ill and vomited the evening of May 28, when she went to a show at the Ace of Spades venue and was drinking, the lawsuit says.
As she was alone at the gas station on Broadway, two strangers, a man and woman, offered to help, according to the lawsuit dated Sept. 8.
But they took her to an apartment, where the man sexually assaulted her at knifepoint, then assaulted her two more times until she escaped from a window the next morning, a complaint says.
“I’ve never felt more vulnerable in my life, and it never would have happened if I didn’t get in that Uber,” the woman said in a statement shared with McClatchy News by her attorney.
“I hope no other woman has to feel how I felt — abandoned, scared and destroyed,” she added.
Detectives with the Sacramento Police Department are investigating, Officer Anthony Gamble confirmed to McClatchy News on Sept. 9.
The woman, referred to as Jane Doe in the lawsuit, is suing Uber for negligence and negligent training and supervision of its drivers.
In a statement to McClatchy News on Sept. 9, Uber spokesperson Gabriela Condarco-Quesada said, “What this individual experienced is heartbreaking, and our thoughts are with them.”
“While we cannot comment on pending litigation, we are committed to the safety and well-being of everyone who uses the Uber platform.”
The lawsuit, filed in San Francisco Superior Court where the company is based, is represented by attorneys Sarvenaz (Nazy) Fahimi and Regina Wang, of Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy.
Lawsuit says driver disregarded Uber’s mess policy
The woman had been enjoying the downtown concert with her brother and friend before she called an Uber for herself at around 9:36 p.m., according to the lawsuit, when she was ready to go home to Rosemont.
In the Uber, “after she vomited, Jane Doe’s Uber driver made the choice to abandon her at a random and unsafe location,” the complaint says.
The driver forced her out of the car in the neighborhood of North Oak Park, more than 8 miles from where she lived with her parents, at 10:02 p.m., according to the filing.
It is not unusual for intoxicated passengers to get sick in an Uber, the lawsuit notes, as the company “routinely transports, and thus profits from, passengers who have been drinking.”
Uber also has a cleaning fee policy in place for messes like vomiting or spills. Based on the damage, the cleaning fees are decided and charged to the rider.
“Nowhere on the (Uber) app or website are passengers told that in addition to paying the cleanup fee, they will also have their safety compromised at the will of the driver in such a situation,” the complaint says.
Abandoned near the gas station
Before the woman’s Uber driver dropped her off by the gas station, he circled the area a few times, according to the complaint.
The North Oak Park neighborhood surrounding the gas station has higher crime rates, the complaint says, citing data from Crimegrade.org.
Without her phone, keys and feeling “disoriented,” the woman agreed to pay the man and woman she encountered in the gas station parking lot in exchange for a ride home, according to the complaint.
But she was “held captive and sexually assaulted” at the man’s apartment, where he was armed with a knife, the complaint says.
“After the man sexually assaulted Jane Doe, he forced her to inhale a drug that appeared to be cocaine,” the complaint states.
He sexually assaulted her again “then forced her to stay at his place overnight,” according to the complaint.
In the morning, she was sexually assaulted a third time before she fled out of a window once the man had fallen asleep, the filing says. She escaped to a nearby university and sought help.
Authorities were called, and she was taken to a hospital, according to the complaint.
“Uber had a duty to get Jane Doe to her destination safely, and it failed to do so,” Fahimi told McClatchy News via email on Sept. 10.
“After learning from Jane Doe’s mother that its driver abandoned Jane Doe at a random, unsafe location at night without her phone, Uber did nothing to help,” Fahimi added.
Gamble told McClatchy News that Sacramento police responded to a reported sexual assault before 9 a.m. the morning of May 29.
He said, “There are limited details we are able to provide.”
“Our investigators have been diligently following up on this case and there is no suspect information available for release,” Gamble added.
On June 1, the woman retrieved her phone and keys from her Uber driver, according to the complaint.
The filing says the man “never offered an excuse for his actions, instead blaming (her) for vomiting in his vehicle, and admitting he had been frustrated because another passenger had recently done the same thing a week prior.”
It is unclear whether he still drives for Uber.
The woman is now seeking an unspecified amount in damages and demands a jury trial with her lawsuit.
“This tragic incident, and in particular Uber’s response, further shows the public that Uber simply cares about the bottom line, and not the individuals behind the profits,” Fahimi told McClatchy News.
This story was originally published September 10, 2025 at 9:04 AM.
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