A group of plaintiffs has filed a lawsuit against a major ridesharing company, alleging negligence and misconduct by its drivers. The complaint was filed on April 2, 2025, in the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco, by Levin Simes LLP on behalf of multiple Jane and John Does against Lyft, Inc., a Delaware corporation.
The plaintiffs accuse Lyft of failing to implement adequate safety measures and conduct proper background checks on its drivers, leading to numerous instances of sexual assault and harassment. According to the complaint, the plaintiffs were assaulted by Lyft drivers across various states including Texas, Oregon, New York, Colorado, South Carolina, Florida, Oklahoma, Nevada, Hawaii, Georgia, Illinois, Missouri, Washington, and Alaska. The allegations include general negligence, negligent hiring and supervision of drivers, common carrier negligence, vicarious liability for sexual assault and battery committed by its drivers among other claims.
One plaintiff recounts an incident from September 15th where she was allegedly sexually assaulted by her driver who deviated from the intended route. Another plaintiff describes being harassed with inappropriate questions and advances during a ride on September 16th. These incidents are part of a broader pattern that the plaintiffs claim has been ongoing since at least 2014 when Lyft became aware of such misconduct but failed to take sufficient action.
The lawsuit highlights Lyft's alleged prioritization of profits over passenger safety. It criticizes the company's inadequate driver screening processes which rely on name-based background checks rather than more thorough fingerprint-based checks. Furthermore, it accuses Lyft's management of not implementing effective monitoring systems or adopting zero-tolerance policies towards sexual misconduct despite having knowledge of these issues.
The plaintiffs seek damages exceeding $25,000 per individual for their pain and suffering as well as punitive damages for what they describe as conscious disregard for passenger safety. They demand that Lyft be held accountable under several legal theories including breach of contract and misrepresentation regarding passenger safety.
Representing the plaintiffs are attorneys William A. Levin (SBN 98592), Laurel L. Simes (SBN 134637), David Grimes (SBN 324292), and Samira Bokaie (SBN 332782) from Levin Simes LLP based in San Francisco. The case is identified under Case No. CGC-25-623900 with proceedings set in motion at the Superior Court presided over by Judge Sahar Enayati.