San Francisco-based Lyft was hit with more than a dozen new lawsuits all at once Wednesday, most of them by drivers who say they were physically or sexually assaulted by passengers.
In total, there were 17 new lawsuits filed in 11 states. The attorneys claim it's the first time this many cases have been simultaneously filed against Lyft by its drivers.
Most of the lawsuits were filed in San Francisco, demanding Lyft upgrade its security, training and features, such as installing dashcams as a deterrent.
"Even after assaults occur, Lyft ignores, minimizes or downright stonewalls the victims' efforts to report the incident and get help," Peiffer Wolf partner Tracey Cowan said.
One of the plaintiffs is Lyft driver Amy Collins of Napa. She said in March 2020 she was driving a drunk man from Yountville to Napa when he started groping and choking her.
"I was paralyzed with fear," she said. "I couldn’t reach my phone to contact the police because the passenger was pressing his full body weight against me as I was driving on the highway."
Lyft responded to Wednesday's lawsuits, pointing to changes it has made, like the share location function and emergency help from ADT.
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"We’re committed to helping keep drivers and riders safe," the company said. "While safety incidents on our platform are incredibly rare, we realize that even one is too many. 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."
Collins said it's not enough and that's why she's taking the company to court.
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"It’s time for Lyft to take responsibility for the safety of its users so no one else has to go through what I experienced," she said.
