Women accusing Uber drivers of sexual assault fight for suit to be heard in court, and not arbitration
San Francisco — Fourteen women who say their Uber drivers sexually assaulted or harassed them, wrote to the company’s board on Thursday to insist that their class-action lawsuit be allowed to go forward in open court. The women recount being assaulted, groped and raped by their drivers in the letter. One said her driver "pulled out his penis and masturbated during the ride", while another recalled waking up in the back seat of the vehicle as the driver was "engaging in oral sex on me without my consent". The plea sent directly to Uber’s 11-member board comes as the ride-hailing giant faces a deadline to respond in court to the women’s complaint against the company. Uber contends the women consented to closed-door arbitration when they signed up for its app and has disputed that the process would silence them. Still, arbitration would move the fight to hold the company responsible for its drivers’ actions out of the public eye and limit the potential legal consequences. Uber has soug...
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