Uber sexual assault lawsuit

The docket record

Full docket title: IN RE: Uber Technologies, Inc., Passenger Sexual Assault Litigation. Programmatic record page: MDL 3084.

Where it stands

The federal Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) centralized Uber passenger sexual assault lawsuits into MDL No. 3084 before Judge Charles R. Breyer in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on October 4, 2023, starting with 22 actions. As of the JPML's September 1, 2026 pending-actions report, 4,588 actions are pending in the MDL, up 191 from the prior month's report. A master complaint was filed in February 2024. Bellwether trials chosen to test how juries value these claims have produced sharply different results: a federal jury in Phoenix, Arizona awarded $8.5 million in February 2026, and a federal jury in Charlotte, North Carolina awarded $5,000 on a battery claim in April 2026. Because of that spread, Judge Breyer ordered additional bellwether cases added to the trial pool, with a further trial scheduled in Fort Worth, Texas in September 2026. A parallel, separate track of roughly 500 cases is coordinated in California state court (San Francisco Superior Court, Judicial Council Coordination Proceeding No. 5188, before Judge Ethan P. Schulman); a state-court bellwether trial ended October 1, 2025 with a jury finding Uber negligent but not liable for the plaintiff's harm. No global settlement has been announced in either track.

Sources: MDL No. 3084 Transfer Order · Pending MDL Dockets by Actions Pending, September 1, 2026 · Uber Defeats Passenger Sexual Assault Case in First Trial · Uber $8.5 Million Verdict: Dean v. Uber Technologies, Inc.; full list at the end of this page.

What the lawsuits are about

Uber is a rideshare company that matches passengers with drivers through its mobile app. These lawsuits allege that Uber's driver background-check process, in-app safety tools, and internal handling of prior assault and harassment reports were inadequate, and that as a result some drivers who were matched with passengers went on to sexually assault them during or immediately after a trip booked through the app. Plaintiffs bring claims that include negligence, negligent hiring and supervision, common-carrier liability, and, in some cases, product liability tied to app design. Uber disputes that it is liable for the criminal acts of independent-contractor drivers and has prevailed in some of the early trials.

Sexual assault lawsuits against Uber were filed individually in federal courts around the country starting well before 2023. In July 2023, a group of plaintiffs' attorneys asked the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation to consolidate the federal cases for coordinated pretrial handling, citing shared questions about Uber's knowledge of assault risk, its driver vetting and training, and its response to complaints. The JPML granted that request on October 4, 2023, creating MDL No. 3084, "IN RE: Uber Technologies, Inc., Passenger Sexual Assault Litigation," and assigned it to Judge Charles R. Breyer in the Northern District of California, the district where Uber is headquartered. A parallel set of cases filed in California state court had already been coordinated separately, in December 2021, as JCCP No. 5188 before the San Francisco Superior Court; that state proceeding covers plaintiffs who chose to sue in state rather than federal court and today runs on its own schedule alongside the federal MDL.

As of September 2026, both tracks are active. In the federal MDL, Judge Breyer has overseen fact-sheet discovery from plaintiffs and defendants, a master complaint (filed February 2024), and a bellwether trial program meant to produce sample verdicts that can inform settlement negotiations. The first federal bellwether trial (Jaylynn Dean's case, tried in Phoenix, Arizona) ended February 12, 2026 with a jury finding Uber liable on an apparent-agency theory and awarding $8.5 million, while rejecting a straight negligence claim and declining punitive damages. A second federal bellwether trial (Brianna Mensing's case, tried in Charlotte, North Carolina) ended April 20, 2026 with a jury awarding just $5,000 on a battery claim. Given that gap in outcomes, Judge Breyer directed that more bellwether cases be added to the trial pool; a further trial was scheduled in Fort Worth, Texas for September 2026. In the state JCCP, the first bellwether trial ("Jessica C." v. Uber) ended October 1, 2025 with a San Francisco jury finding Uber was negligent in its passenger-safety measures but that the negligence was not a substantial factor in the assault, resulting in no damages. No settlement fund covering the MDL or the JCCP has been announced.

Injuries named in the filings

• Sexual assault or rape by an Uber driver during a trip booked through the Uber app
• Sexual assault or rape by an Uber driver immediately before or after a booked trip
• Sexual battery, unwanted sexual contact, or sexual harassment by an Uber driver during a trip
• Physical, psychological, and emotional injury resulting from an assault by a driver matched through the app

Principal defendants: Uber Technologies, Inc.; Rasier, LLC (Uber's driver-facing subsidiary).

Sources: MDL No. 3084 Transfer Order · Pending MDL Dockets by Actions Pending, September 1, 2026 · Uber Defeats Passenger Sexual Assault Case in First Trial · Uber $8.5 Million Verdict: Dean v. Uber Technologies, Inc.; full list at the end of this page.

Who the filings say qualifies

Eligibility for the federal MDL is defined by what the case management orders and master complaint require: the case must involve a passenger sexually assaulted by a driver who was matched with them through the Uber app, and the incident must be the kind of claim covered by the master complaint's negligence and common-carrier theories. Anyone filing or transferring a case into MDL 3084 must complete a court-ordered Plaintiff Fact Sheet.

• The claimant was a passenger who booked a ride through the Uber app and was paired with a driver through that app
• The claimant alleges they were sexually assaulted, raped, or subjected to unwanted sexual contact or harassment by that driver, before, during, or after the trip
• The incident occurred in the United States
• The claimant is pursuing (or is eligible to pursue) a civil claim against Uber Technologies, Inc. and/or Rasier, LLC, not solely against the individual driver
• For a case filed in or transferred to the federal MDL, a completed Plaintiff Fact Sheet must be submitted, per the court's fact-sheet order, generally within 30 days of the case being filed or transferred in
• Claims are subject to each state's own statute of limitations for sexual assault and related civil claims, which varies by state and by the claimant's age at the time of the incident

Source: MDL 3084 Plaintiff Fact Sheet Order (as posted by counsel; order originates from Judge Breyer's case management orders, N.D. Cal.).

These are the criteria in the public record, not a promise about any individual case. A law firm evaluates each case on its own facts, and limitations periods vary by state.

Key dates

1. July 1, 2023Plaintiffs' attorneys petition the JPML to centralize Uber sexual assault lawsuits, citing 22 actions pending in 11 federal districts. source
2. October 4, 2023JPML issues a transfer order creating MDL No. 3084 and centralizing the federal cases before Judge Charles R. Breyer in the Northern District of California. source
3. February 1, 2024Plaintiffs file a consolidated master complaint in the MDL alleging Uber knew of driver-assault risks and failed to adopt safety measures such as in-car cameras and enhanced background checks. source
4. October 1, 2025First bellwether trial in the parallel California state JCCP ("Jessica C." v. Uber) ends with a San Francisco jury finding Uber negligent but not liable for damages. source
5. February 12, 2026First federal MDL bellwether trial (Jaylynn Dean v. Uber), tried in Phoenix, Arizona, ends with a jury awarding $8.5 million on an apparent-agency theory. source
6. April 20, 2026Second federal MDL bellwether trial (Brianna Mensing v. Uber), tried in Charlotte, North Carolina, ends with a jury awarding $5,000 on a battery claim. source
7. September 1, 2026JPML's monthly pending-actions report lists 4,588 actions pending in MDL 3084, up 191 from the prior month. source
8. September 14, 2026A further federal bellwether trial is scheduled to begin in Fort Worth, Texas, part of the expanded bellwether pool ordered after the Dean and Mensing verdicts diverged sharply. source

Questions people ask

Sources: MDL No. 3084 Transfer Order · Pending MDL Dockets by Actions Pending, September 1, 2026 · Uber Defeats Passenger Sexual Assault Case in First Trial · Uber $8.5 Million Verdict: Dean v. Uber Technologies, Inc.; full list at the end of this page.

Track this docket

We re-read the JPML report on the first business day of each month. Get an email when this record changes: case count, status, or a settlement development.

Sources

1. U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, “Pending MDL Dockets by Actions Pending,” monthly reports January 2, 2024 to September 1, 2026. Transferee court: Northern District of California, Charles R. Breyer.
2. MDL No. 3084 Transfer Order, U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation. Accessed September 3, 2026.
3. Pending MDL Dockets by Actions Pending, September 1, 2026, U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation. Accessed September 3, 2026.
4. Uber Defeats Passenger Sexual Assault Case in First Trial, Bloomberg Law. Accessed September 3, 2026.
5. Uber $8.5 Million Verdict: Dean v. Uber Technologies, Inc., Law Firm of Melinda J. Helbock, A.P.C. (plaintiff-side counsel, summarizing the verdict). Accessed September 3, 2026.
6. Uber sexual assault bellwether trial ends in $8.5M verdict, Top Class Actions. Accessed September 3, 2026.
7. Uber Sexual Assault MDL Verdict: NC Jury Awards $5K in Second Bellwether Trial, Verus LLC (litigation support/legal services provider, case management update). Accessed September 3, 2026.
8. Uber reports 141 rapes, 998 sexual assault incidents overall in 2020, despite pandemic ridership decline, NBC News. Accessed September 3, 2026.
9. Uber releases safety data: 998 sexual assault incidents including 141 rape reports in 2020, CNN Business. Accessed September 3, 2026.
10. Uber Sexual Assault Lawsuit Fact Sheet Order, Robert King Law Firm (plaintiff-side counsel, hosting the MDL's court-issued fact sheet order). Accessed September 3, 2026.
11. In re: Uber Technologies, Inc., Passenger Sexual Assault Litigation, No. 3:23-md-03084-CRB, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California. Accessed September 3, 2026.

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