Uber faces legal action in US court over India rape allegations
A woman allegedly raped by an Uber driver in India plans to take legal action against the taxi aggregator in a US court claiming negligence.
The action will centre on Uber’s lax background checks on drivers and the woman has secured the services of well-known New York lawyer Douglas Wigdor.
Wigdor previously represented hotel maid Nafissatou Diallo, who gained a million dollar settlement from former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn over an alleged sexual assault.
Wigdor has asked for US jurisdiction in the case as Uber’s company policy pertaining to driver conduct was made in the US.
"I can confirm that I have been retained by the young lady who was raped by an Uber driver in Delhi, India, last December. We will use all of our resources to vindicate my client’s rights, hold those responsible for their actions and ensure that this doesn’t happen again," Wigdor said.
The civil lawsuit attempt comes as former Uber driver Shiv Kumar Yadav made his first court appearance in India accused of rape, criminal intimidation and kidnapping.
Delhi authorities initially banned Uber after a public outcry and Uber CEO Travis Kalanick promised to beef up background checks for all drivers by ‘going above and beyond required government verification’.
"We are engaging local and global experts to evaluate the most effective background screening solution across India; pilot programs are already running in select cities, including Delhi," Uber said in a statement.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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