A federal jury in Arizona awarded the $8.5 million on Thursday to Jaylynn Dean, who alleged her Uber driver raped her on a ride in 2023.
What You Need to Know
- An Uber spokesman told Law.com, “The jury rejected claims that Uber was negligent and that our safety systems were defective.”
- The plaintiff’s lawyers asked nine jurors to award $24 million in compensatory damages and $120.2 million in punitive damages against Uber.
- On Sept. 30, in the first sexual assault trial in the nation against Uber, jurors in San Francisco Superior Court concluded that Uber was negligent in failing to provide safe rides to women but not liable for the plaintiff’s sexual assault by one of the drivers.
A federal jury in Arizona awarded $8.5 million on Thursday to a woman who alleged she was raped by her Uber driver.
The verdict comes in the first federal bellwether trial in the sexual assault multidistrict litigation in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
The jury deliberated for about two days.
Plaintiff Jaylynn Dean alleged her Uber driver raped her on Nov. 15, 2023, while she was on a trip in Tempe, Arizona.
Uber’s lawyers, led by Kirkland & Ellis partner Kim Bueno in Austin, Texas, insisted that Hassan Turay, the driver, was a U.S. citizen who passed multiple background checks, was aware of Uber’s rules on sexual misconduct and received 5-star ratings from riders. His actions, they told jurors, were unforeseeable.
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In closing arguments Tuesday, Dean’s lawyers asked nine jurors to award $24 million in compensatory damages and $120.2 million in punitive damages against Uber.
Dean’s lawyers told the jury that Uber failed to warn their client, who was 19 at the time, about the risks of sexual assault when it sent Turay to pick her up just past midnight, after she had been drinking. Instead, Uber advertised that its platform is safe for women, offering what Dean’s lawyers characterized as ineffective safety features.
In an emailed statement, Sarah London, co-lead counsel for Dean, told Law.com, “Today’s verdict validates the thousands of survivors who have come forward at great personal risk to demand accountability against Uber for its focus on profit over passenger safety. The jury heard extensive evidence about Uber’s practices and recognized that Uber is responsible for the conduct of its drivers.”
London, of San Francisco’s Girard Sharp, added, “This case is a victory for Ms. Dean, and we are grateful for this outcome, but the work is far from over. Thousands of cases remain, and justice will ultimately be measured by the outcomes of the ongoing litigation and whether meaningful safety reforms are implemented to protect passengers going forward.”
Uber unsuccessfully moved to postpone the trial, which began on Jan. 13, citing a “misleading” ad campaign, sponsored by the Consumer Attorneys of California, that could taint the jury pool. The campaign, called “Every 8 Minutes,” states that Uber receives a complaint of sexual assault or misconduct every eight minutes—a claim largely based on an article in The New York Times.
Uber also filed motions for mistrial, which U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer denied.
On Sept. 30, in the first sexual assault trial in the nation against Uber, jurors in San Francisco Superior Court concluded that Uber was negligent in failing to provide safe rides to women but not liable for the plaintiff’s sexual assault by one of the drivers.
Full Story: Law.com February 6 2026
