‘It’s an epidemic’: Drivers and passengers sue Lyft after sexual assaults and attacks
Former Lyft drivers and a passenger on Wednesday detailed disturbing experiences in which they were sexually assaulted or brutally attacked, explaining the San Francisco-based ride-hailing service did little to nothing to help them after they were victimized.
The emotional testimonials were shared during a news conference hosted by the Peiffer Wolf Carr Kane Conway & Wise law firm, which announced 17 new lawsuits and arbitrations against Lyft.
Attorneys are filing the lawsuits on behalf of these drivers and passengers, including a Sacramento woman sexually assaulted as a Lyft passenger.
The Sacramento woman is among 12 other drivers and riders taking legal action against Lyft, but they declined to publicly discuss their attacks on Wednesday. The group includes other Lyft passengers sexually assaulted in California, Ohio, Kentucky, Oregon, Virginia, Texas and Wisconsin; a passenger attacked in Michigan; and a driver attacked in Illinois.
Adam Wolf, an attorney with the law firm representing the drivers and passengers, said this is the first time so many lawsuits have been filed against Lyft at the same time across the country. He said they filed the lawsuits on Wednesday to highlight problems with the company’s safety precautions, hoping there can be real change.
“This is momentous, a momentous day against Lyft, but it should be a momentous day at the end that hopefully supports all of us,” Wolf told reporters during Wednesday’s news conference. “How sad that this has happened so many times that there need to be coordinated proceedings against Lyft for the sexual and physical violence that occurs in Lyft cars. It’s an epidemic and it needs to stop.”
Lyft representatives say over 99% of Lyft rides occur without any safety report at all. Lyft’s Community Safety Report indicates that the rate of reported sexual assault incidents, from 2017 to 2019, remained constant at 0.00002%.
“We’re committed to helping keep drivers and riders safe. While safety incidents on our platform are incredibly rare, we realize that even one is too many,” a Lyft spokesperson said in a written statement sent to The Sacramento Bee. “Our goal is to make every Lyft ride as safe as possible, and we will continue to take action and invest in technology, policies and partnerships to do so.”
Every Lyft driver goes through a rigorous background check before being approved to drive and every year thereafter, along with continuous criminal monitoring that provides notification of any disqualifying offense, according to Lyft. Any driver who fails to pass the continuous screenings is barred from Lyft.
Erika Garcia-Galicia was working as a Lyft driver on Feb. 7 in Los Angeles County when she was sexually assaulted by a passenger. She said the man made disturbing comments about his recent incarceration, his schizophrenia diagnosis, being molested by his therapist and his genitals. They arrived at the destination, and the man lunged at her.
“I asked him to exit the vehicle, but he launched forward and pulled my head towards him and tried to kiss me,” Garcia-Galicia told reporters. “I sprayed hand sanitizer in his face in an attempt to break free. When he finally got out of the car, I was able to drive away and call 9-1-1.”
She felt violated, scared, angry, suffering a panic attack immediately after. The driver from Wilmington said she also reported the assault to Lyft, which told her the passenger’s account would be flagged and suspended. But he was able to contact her later that night with information from the ride-hailing app. Garcia-Galicia said she reported the harassment to Lyft, and she never heard from the service again.
“I’m so disgusted and disappointed with Lyft,” said Garcia-Galicia, who struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder. “If there’s anything that I could tell Lyft, it would be to teach your staff how to deal with survivors of sexual assault. Lyft really needs to make their platform safe, so their drivers can feel safe.”
Lyft representatives said violence and harassment are not tolerated on the Lyft platform, and drivers or riders who engage in such behavior or violate its community guidelines will be permanently removed from the platform.
Among the five drivers and passengers who spoke during Wednesday’s news conference was Amy Collins, who was sexually assaulted while working as a Lyft driver on March 1, 2020, in Napa. She said an intoxicated male passenger made inappropriate gestures and comments about her body and caressed her arms as she told him to stop.
“But he pressed himself against my seat and began groping me,” Collins said. “When I resisted, he wrapped his hands around my neck, choking me and continuing to grope me until we reached the destination.”
She couldn’t reach her phone to call police, because he was pressing his body weight against her as she drove down a highway. She said Lyft did not provide any training on how to handle situations like this, and she didn’t learn about her rights as a driver until later in a Facebook group for Lyft drivers.
“When I finally figured out how to report the assault to Lyft, all I received was an email stating that they were very sorry to hear that my passenger made explicit gestures during the ride,” Collins said. “I felt no protection from Lyft whatsoever. I don’t feel like they care about me at all.”
This story was originally published August 31, 2022 at 4:46 PM.
