A Sacramento woman is suing Uber after she says a driver kicked her out of his car the night of May 28, 2025 and she was later sexually assaulted. The complaint, filed Sept. 8, says the 23-year-old — identified only as 'Jane Doe' — was dumped near a gas station in the Rosemont neighborhood after vomiting in the ride and left without her phone or keys. The suit alleges she was taken to an apartment, assaulted at knifepoint and escaped the next morning to seek help at a nearby school.
What the lawsuit says
The lawsuit was filed Sept. 8 in San Francisco Superior Court by Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy and names Uber Technologies as the defendant; it alleges the driver dropped the passenger at 10:02 p.m., more than eight miles from her intended destination. The complaint contends the driver left her alone in an unsafe area and that, after being approached by two strangers who offered assistance, she was taken to an apartment where a man choked and sexually assaulted her at knifepoint before she escaped, according to the complaint filed in San Francisco Superior Court.
Victim and attorneys' statements
'I've never felt more vulnerable in my life,' the woman said through her attorneys in a statement to San Francisco Chronicle, who argue Uber advertises itself as a safe alternative for people who have been drinking yet failed to ensure she reached her destination. The suit also says the company's reply to the woman's mother was a boilerplate email with hotline links instead of an escalation, a response the lawyers say underscores gaps in how late-night incidents are handled.
Uber's response
Uber told reporters it could not comment on pending litigation but that it was committed to rider safety and stands ready to assist law enforcement, according to local reporting. Plaintiff attorneys said the case highlights features such as late-night surge pricing and cleanup fees that, they contend, effectively target intoxicated riders and can leave them vulnerable, according to ABC7.
Legal implications
The complaint brings claims including negligence and negligent training and supervision and asks for damages and a jury trial. The suit arrives amid a broader wave of litigation over passenger safety; the 9th Circuit recently allowed more than 1,600 sexual-assault cases against Uber to proceed before a single judge, the Los Angeles Times reported. This consolidation that has made company discovery a flashpoint in related suits.
What happens next
Sacramento police have opened a criminal investigation and, according to reporting, no arrests have been made so far. The civil case is in the early stages in San Francisco Superior Court; the complaint says the plaintiff will seek to proceed under a pseudonym to protect her identity and demands a jury trial.
