Lyft Sexual Assault and Battery Lawsuit Attorney

Rideshare services have quickly become one of the most popular ways to travel around big cities. Customers use the services for many reasons, such as to travel to and from work each day, to travel to concerts and bars, and to come home after nights spent out with friends or at clubs. Lyft is one of the most popular rideshare services providing transportation to passengers all over the United States. Despite its popularity, the company has still come under fire at times for its seemingly negligent hiring practices and attempts to defer liability in the case of accidents, injuries, and assaults. Kenmore Law Group is here to help clients who have been sexually assaulted in a Lyft vehicle receive their fair, deserved compensation. Often, our clients will call us with questions pertaining to the legal ramifications of these sexual assaults and what steps they can take to move forward. Examples of these questions include:

• Can I sue Lyft for sexual assault?
• Can I sue Lyft for a driver raping me?
• Can I sue Lyft if another passenger assaulted me?
• Can I file a lawsuit against Lyft for someone touching me inappropriately?
• Can I sue Lyft for being sexually abused by a driver
• I need to find a Lyft assault and battery attorney. Who should I hire?
• I am a victim of sexual abuse or sexual molestation from a Lyft driver. Can I file a lawsuit?

Potential Dangers of Riding Lyft
Lyft was created in San Francisco, CA, in 2012. It came about as a rideshare service, blossoming into a popular company alongside Uber; customers can request the services via an app on their smartphones. While taxi cab services often need a quick phone call from someone to verify the pickup and drop off locations, Lyft’s internal app allows for maximum efficiency from both the passenger and the driver. Passengers will input their destinations and the nearest driver can elect to pick them up.

As with any service involving a stranger, it can be frightening or intimidating to share a close space with someone you have never met before. Many customers elect to sit in the front seat of the car instead of in the back; this is generally done because of the difference from taxi cabs, which often have partitions of glass or plastic between the driver and the backseat. Users often feel that Lyft vehicles are not necessarily in the same category as taxi cabs, and treat the ride in a more casual manner.

Although the majority of Lyft drivers are harmless individuals trying to make a living, there are employees who are more insidious than the rest and use Lyft’s services as a way of committing criminal acts. Because passengers are usually alone with drivers for any duration of time, it can be easy for drivers to assault them with no intervention from outside sources.

These dangers are worsened by the fact that many of them are somewhat preventable. Since Lyft primarily functions through its app, it does not conduct in-person interviews with each potential driver. The business does have a few requirements of its drivers – a clean driving record, insurance, valid license, no felonies, no history of assault or any similar charges (which are searched for by utilizing a background check), and have a vehicle that adheres to the company’s standards. However, the background check only goes back 7 years, and many people have found that it is easy to conceal necessary facts on the app. Lyft’s tendency to hire many drivers as a way to increase revenue and deal with demand allows more disreputable people to be in proximity with powerless victims.

Sexual Assault
Despite Lyft having ample information on a driver, he can still elect to abuse a passenger and may even get away with it. Some drivers have been known to commit sexual assault on passengers and continue driving. Lyft’s liability in these cases should be guaranteed.

Passengers who enter vehicles when they are inebriated or intoxicated, extremely fatigued or tired, wounded, or otherwise incapacitated should exercise caution, as they are easy targets for predatory drivers. Some drivers and passengers have even gone back to the houses of customers for the express purpose of raping them or committing other kinds of sexual violence. Passengers have reported all sorts of types of sexual assault, including:

• Rape
• Inappropriate Touching
• Sexual Abuse
• Sexual Molestation
• Groping
• Sexual Harassment
• Lewd Remarks

Passengers who have experienced any of these types of abuse should seek the assistance of a Lyft sexual assault lawyer. A skilled lawsuit attorney can help you file a claim against a responsible Lyft driver or Lyft passenger.

Why Choose a Civil Claim
It is important to note that sexual assault and battery can be used as grounds for a civil claim as well as a criminal case. Many of our clients elect to pursue civil claims instead of criminal cases because of the reduced burden of proof. In criminal cases, the defendant is, of course, presumed to be innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. This means that the burden of proving the defendant’s guilt is entirely based on the plaintiff’s abilities and evidence, which must then be evaluated by a judge or a jury. If the judge or jury feels that there is any doubt as to the evidence of the defendant’s guilt, then the defendant can be declared not guilty and walk free.

Civil claims, however, do not need as much evidence as a criminal case. While they sometimes can go to a jury trial, it is not required to have evidence of guilt of the defendant beyond a reasonable doubt. This is due to the different types of outcomes that can arise from the verdict of each case.

A criminal case can yield jail time for the defendant, as well as community service hours, restrictions on life, and more. Defendants will have a record upon emerging from prison and may find it difficult to pursue other endeavors, such as holding a job or attending college. Because of the potential outcome and life-changing results, it is necessary to have as much scrutiny as possible in these cases.

A civil claim allows plaintiffs to collect monetary compensation for their damages. There is no possibility of jail time, so it is not necessary to have the same strictness that is present with criminal cases. Plaintiffs can collect economic damages, including coverage of medical bills (surgery, hospitalization, physical therapy, medication, and more); lost wages (stemming from stays in the hospital or the inability to return to work due to psychological stress); non-economic damages (pain and suffering, fear, anxiety, PTSD, mental scarring, and others); and punitive damages. Punitive damages are the most punishing aspect of civil claims cases, as they are awarded purely to punish the defendant further in lieu of not being able to pursue jail time.

There are, however, problems with punitive damages. Some juries and judges may feel that they are unnecessary or cruel and will not be willing to award them. Even the most skilled lawyers may not be able to bring punitive damages into a settlement. Further, the driver may not be able to pay off the damages, especially if he has poor insurance. This can result in no funds to go around. Fortunately, Lyft can still be on the receiving end of a lawsuit in tandem with a responsible driver, but it will be difficult to argue in a lawsuit that Lyft should pay out the additional damages, unless they were grossly negligent in hiring the driver.

How We Help
Kenmore Law Group is here for victims who have suffered abuse or have been sexually harassed or raped by Lyft drivers. We believe that no business is exempt from the actions of its employees, especially if the business was negligent or nonchalant in its hiring process and allowed these acts to happen via proxy. Lyft’s role in sexual assault and battery cases should not go ignored, and we are here to help bring you fair restitution from both parties in the event of an act of violence. We know that you may suffer physical and emotional damage, and it is our goal to keep you safe and healthy while aggressively fighting for what you deserve.

Contact our law firm today to speak to an attorney for Lyft passenger sexual assault case. You will be given a free, confidential consultation on your claim. Our team will be open with you about what we expect you to receive in a settlement, as well as discuss the ways in which we will sue Lyft and get you compensation. We are an empathetic, caring group of attorneys, and you can rest assured that you are safe with us.

Further, if you select us for legal representation, we guarantee you that you pay no fees upfront or out of pocket. We only get paid in the event we win your case and bring you a settlement. The settlement has our costs factored into it already – you suffer no economic loss for letting us represent you. If we lose your case, you do not owe us a penny.

For more information on how to sue Lyft for sexual assault by its drivers, contact Kenmore Law Group today. No company should be able to walk off scot-free in the event of sexual assault and battery by the driver.