Michigan Uber Sexual Assault Lawsuit Guide: What You Need To Know

A Michigan Uber sexual assault lawsuit is a civil case you bring against your attacker, and potentially the rideshare company or other responsible parties, for financial compensation and long-term safety remedies. Unlike a criminal case, which the prosecutor controls, a civil lawsuit puts you in charge of the process.

A case may involve:

• Negligent hiring, retention, or supervision: Issues in the federal Multi-District Litigation (In Re: Uber Technologies, Inc., Passenger Sexual Assault Litigation) include whether Uber failed to conduct adequate background checks of its drivers and train drivers regarding sexual assault and harassment.
• Inadequate background screening: In 2016, Uber settled a $25 million California lawsuit concerning the company’s background checks of drivers in Los Angeles and San Francisco after investigations revealed that approved Uber drivers had serious criminal convictions.
• Failure to enforce driver conduct rules: Some accused Uber drivers have reportedly been permitted to keep accepting rides while misconduct complaints were still under review.
• Weak safety policies or monitoring of high-risk drivers: Lawsuits point to safety measures, such as mandatory in-car audio or video recording, that Uber has still not required platform-wide. Uber has since introduced a “Women Preferences” feature, launched nationwide in March 2026 (piloted in Detroit, among other cities), letting women riders request women drivers — though matching isn’t guaranteed and depends on driver availability.
• Deceptive safety marketing: Lawsuits allege Uber marketed itself misleadingly, and specifically directed its marketing campaigns to women and intoxicated riders, including intoxicated women riders.

A Michigan civil sexual assault lawsuit against Uber doesn’t replace a criminal case. You can pursue both at once.

It can be. Under Pretrial Order No. 6 in the Uber MDL No. 3084, you can file in the U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, as a member case of the Uber MDL, rather than filing in the federal district court where you otherwise would have filed.

To qualify to file directly into the Uber MDL, your lawsuit must allege that rideshare company paired you with a driver who attacked you before, during, or after a ride, and that your sexual assault occurred in the U.S. (Pretrial Order No. 6)

• What MDL 3084 is: It is a federal multi-district litigation (MDL) in the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of California, San Francisco, in which thousands of Uber sexual assault lawsuits from across the U.S. have been centralized into In re: Uber Technologies, Inc., Passenger Sexual Assault Litigation (MDL No. 3084).
• How large the MDL is: There are nearly 4,000 Uber sexual assault cases currently pending.
• What consolidation means: The MDL is not a class action. Each survivor’s case remains individual — consolidation only combines shared pretrial discovery and bellwether trials to establish liability and damages benchmarks across similar claims.\
• Bellwether trials: Early representative trials from the MDL are already producing verdicts that shape settlement value for the remaining cases, with additional bellwether trials scheduled through late 2026.

Federal juries have ruled against Uber in the first two bellwether lawsuits of the passenger sexual assault MDL, and a federal judge has issued a ruling that could extend the rideshare company’s legal responsibility to passengers well beyond these two cases.

• First bellwether verdict (February 2026): A federal jury in Phoenix awarded $8.5 million to a passenger who alleged she was raped by an Uber driver, finding Uber liable under an apparent agency theory. The jury rejected a separate negligence claim in the same case.
• Common carrier ruling: Ahead of the second bellwether trial, the court ruled that Uber qualifies as a common carrier under North Carolina law, meaning the company owes passengers a heightened, non-delegable duty to provide a safe ride.
• Second bellwether verdict (April 2026): A North Carolina jury found Uber liable for a driver’s assault of a passenger and awarded $5,000 in damages.
• Appeal: Uber has signaled it will appeal the North Carolina verdict.
• What’s next: Two additional federal bellwether trials are scheduled to begin September 14, 2026, and October 5, 2026, with more expected afterward as the litigation moves toward a broader resolution.

These verdicts don’t decide the outcome of any other case, including a Michigan claim. But they show juries are willing to hold Uber legally responsible for driver misconduct under multiple legal theories, and they’re shaping how the company and plaintiffs approach settlement discussions for the thousands of remaining cases.

Michigan has a direct stake in this litigation beyond individual survivor claims. In June 2026, the Police and Fire Retirement System of the City of Detroit — a municipal pension fund and Uber shareholder — filed a derivative sexual assault lawsuit against Uber’s board of directors and executives, including CEO Dara Khosrowshahi.

• What the lawsuit alleges: Uber’s leadership ignored repeated internal and external warnings about driver misconduct and passenger safety while telling investors the company took safety seriously, breaching their fiduciary duties to the company.
• What it’s asking for: The suit seeks to require Uber’s directors and officers to personally reimburse the company for losses tied to their alleged mismanagement, along with governance reforms to strengthen safety oversight going forward.
• How it’s different from a survivor’s claim: This is a shareholder derivative suit, not a personal injury case. It doesn’t seek compensation for any individual assault survivor — any recovery would go back to Uber itself. If you were assaulted by an Uber driver, your legal options are separate from this case.
• Uber’s response: A company spokesperson has disputed the allegations, calling them misleading.

While this lawsuit won’t compensate individual survivors directly, it reflects a Michigan-based institution formally alleging that Uber’s safety failures were systemic and known at the leadership level — a fact pattern that can be relevant context for sexual assault survivors’ own claims against the company.

Often, yes. Courts frequently allow survivors of sexual assault by Uber drivers to proceed using a pseudonym, such as “Jane Doe,” to protect their privacy throughout the lawsuit. This isn’t automatic — you generally need to request the court’s permission early in the case — but Michigan courts, like courts nationwide, regularly grant this protection in sexual assault cases given the sensitive and personal nature of the claims.

• What it protects: Using a pseudonym keeps your name out of public court records and news coverage of the case, while the litigation moves forward.
• What it doesn’t change: The defendant (the driver, Uber, or another party) still has the right to know your true identity to defend the case. Anonymity applies to the public record, not to the parties involved in the lawsuit.
• When to raise it: Your attorney should request pseudonym status when your case is filed, not after — courts weigh this request against the general rule that lawsuits are public, so building the request in from the start gives you the strongest footing.
• Additional privacy protections: Beyond a pseudonym, your attorney can also request protective orders sealing sensitive records and coordinate with advocates to help protect your privacy outside the courtroom.

Michigan law provides multiple tools to protect your privacy in a civil sexual assault lawsuit against Uber, including:

• Pseudonym filings – Survivors may file as “Jane Doe” or “John Doe.”
• Protective and sealing orders – Under MCR 1.109(D)(9)(b)(vii) and MCL 8.119(I), courts can seal identifying or medical information.
• Crime Victim’s Rights Act protections – MCL 780.758(1) and MCL 780.818 restrict disclosure of survivor information, including under FOIA.
• Balancing test for anonymity – Courts apply the balancing test discussed in Doe v Bodwin and Doe v Borromeo, allowing anonymity when disclosure risks emotional harm or retaliation.

The proof required depends on who you’re suing.

Against the perpetrator: Your lawyer must show nonconsensual sexual contact or penetration under Michigan’s civil standard, a lower burden of proof than in a criminal case.

Against Uber: Depending on the facts, claims may include:

• Negligent hiring
• Negligent supervision
• Negligent retention of a dangerous driver
• Failure to enforce or follow safety policies
• Vicarious liability, if the driver acted within the scope of employment
• Foreseeability: Uber’s own safety reports disclosed 5,981 sexual assault and misconduct reports in 2017–2018, 3,824 in 2019–2020, and 2,717 in 2021-2022.  These company-published figures are often used to argue the rideshare company knew its platform posed a known, foreseeable risk to passengers well before any individual assault occurred

Against a property owner: If applicable, a premises liability claim may apply if the assault happened in a poorly lit or unsafe area.

Your attorney handles every part of the case so you can focus on healing. They will:

• Investigate the driver’s background, prior misconduct, and complaint history
• Secure electronic rideshare trip data before it’s lost
• Collect police records, SANE exams, medical records, and therapy documentation
• Identify every liable party, including the perpetrator, the rideshare company, and property owners
• Interview witnesses and obtain surveillance footage
• Work with trauma-informed experts to explain the full extent of your harm
• Protect your privacy throughout
• Meet every statute of limitations deadline
• Prepare your case for settlement or trial

Michigan sexual assault lawyers who focus on this work understand trauma-informed representation and move your lawsuit against Uber at your pace.

The process generally includes seven steps:

1. Confidential consultation with a Michigan sexual assault lawyer
2. Case investigation: Uber trip data, device logs, texts, and digital evidence
3. Filing the complaint against the appropriate defendants
4. Serving Uber and any other responsible parties, including property owners if premises liability applies
5. Discovery: evidence exchange and depositions
6. Negotiation and possible mediation
7. Trial, if the case doesn’t settle

Uber is a sophisticated defendant. Your lawyer needs to send prompt evidence-preservation notices to stop digital evidence from being destroyed.

Generally, you have 10 years from the incident under MCL 600.5805(6) or, if you were a minor at the time, you have until you reach 28 years of age or 3 years from the date you discover assault-related injury under MCL 600.5851b(1).

If you’re unsure whether the statute of limitations on your claim has expired, don’t guess. A Michigan sexual assault lawyer can confirm the exact deadline that applies to your situation.

Most cases take 12 to 24 months. Timing depends on:

• The number of defendants
• Whether Uber disputes liability
• How long discovery takes
• Whether experts are required
• Whether the case settles before trial

Premises liability cases involving multiple property owners or security companies may take longer.

Survivors can recover both economic and noneconomic damages.

Economic damages:

• Medical care
• Counseling and trauma therapy
• Lost wages
• Future earning capacity
• Security and protection costs

Noneconomic damages:

• Emotional trauma
• Fear and anxiety
• Loss of dignity
• Shame, guilt, or humiliation
• Long-term psychological harm

Michigan sexual assault lawyers typically work on contingency, which means:

• No upfront cost
• No hourly billing
• No payment unless you win

You can pursue justice without financial risk.

Choosing a lawyer for a sexual assault lawsuit against Uber is deeply personal. Survivors deserve legal strength and genuine human compassion, and we built our practice around both. Survivors choose our firm because we:

• Focus exclusively on sexual assault and abuse cases. Representing survivors in civil suits is the core of our practice, not a sideline.
• Pair trauma-informed advocacy with courtroom experience. We understand how trauma affects memory, decision-making, and daily life, and we tailor our approach accordingly. We’re also trial-ready lawyers who know how to gather evidence, cross-examine witnesses, and present compelling cases to judges and juries.
• Prioritize your privacy and safety from the first call. We discuss pseudonyms, protective orders, and safety planning from day one, and we coordinate with advocates and therapists so the legal process supports your recovery instead of working against it.
• Pursue accountability at every level. We don’t stop at the individual perpetrator. When Uber or another company ignores warning signs or complaints, we pursue accountability from them too.
• Communicate clearly and respectfully. We explain the law in plain language, keep you updated, and respond promptly. Your voice guides strategy. We’re here to advise and advocate, not to take over your life.

We believe you, we respect you, and we fight for you to be heard.

You do not have to face the aftermath of sex abuse alone. Let our experience and trusted Uber sexual assault lawyers provide the guidance, support, and legal expertise you need in your lawsuit. With a proven track record of holding perpetrators accountable and helping survivors pursue justice and compensation, we are here to give you peace of mind while assisting you in reclaiming your life.

We pride ourselves on treating every client with care, compassion, and respect. Communication is a cornerstone of our practice. We will always be available when you need us, return your calls and emails, and answer any questions you may have.

To speak with an experienced attorney about your situation, call us now or fill out our contact form for a free, confidential consultation. We will help you understand Michigan law, explain your legal options, and guide you through the process of pursuing justice. There is absolutely no cost or obligation. We are here for you today.