Uber agrees to allow sexual assault victims to sue it in court

SAN FRANCISCO: Uber Technologies Inc. said it will let sexual assault and harassment victims sue the company in court and plans to release data on sexual violence and other dangerous incidents that occur on its ridehailing service.

Previously, Uber’s terms of service barred sexual assault victims—and other potential litigants—from pursuing their claims against Uber in open court, redirecting their cases to private arbitration. Now, in the US, Uber is waiving the requirement for these victims. They will still be free to opt for arbitration or mediation if they prefer to resolve the matter privately.

Uber will still seek to enforce other types of litigants to engage behind closed doors. And like other complainants, sexual assault victims will continue to be barred by the terms of service from banding together to bring class-action lawsuits against the company.

The move comes amid the #Metoo movement, in which women have come forward with accounts of sexual harassment, assault and workplace mistreatment.

Uber faced a reckoning of its own last year after former software engineer Susan Fowler wrote a poignant blog post documenting harassment she faced there.

“There’s no question that Uber has a unique relationship to the issue of sexual harassment in particular because of Susan Fowler’s blog,” said Tony West, Uber’s chief legal officer.