Uber Technologies, Inc., Passenger Sexual Assault

This docket consolidates claims by rideshare passengers alleging they were sexually assaulted by drivers and that the platform operator failed to implement adequate safety measures, screening, or response protocols to prevent foreseeable harm. Centralized in the Northern District of California in 2023, the docket has grown rapidly and now carries 4,588 pending actions, one of the largest personal-injury claim populations among currently active MDLs. Two federal bellwether trials have already been completed: the first produced an $8.5 million compensatory-damages verdict against the platform operator over a driver's assault of a passenger, and a second trial produced a smaller damages award but established a legally significant ruling that the platform qualifies as a common carrier, a classification imposing a heightened duty of care toward passengers.

For a funder, this is now a well-developed mass-tort docket with real, tested bellwether outcomes rather than an unproven theory: two completed trials have produced actual jury verdicts, and the common-carrier ruling from the second trial is a structurally significant legal development that could meaningfully affect liability standards and damages exposure across the full remaining claim population going forward. A third bellwether trial was scheduled for late 2026, and the presiding judge has called for a refreshed bellwether pool to sharpen valuation metrics and advance settlement discussions across this large docket.

Criterica Capital's mass tort finance product applies directly to individual passenger claimants in this docket, with underwriting benefiting from the completed bellwether verdicts and the common-carrier liability standard, while pricing should account for the still-developing settlement framework given the docket's scale and the absence, as of this report, of a global resolution. A structure and litigation brief on the current bellwether outcomes and claim population is also available.

Pre-settlement funding is a non-recourse purchase of a portion of the proceeds of a pending legal claim — not a loan. If the case does not result in a recovery, nothing is owed. Rates, fees, and repayment terms are disclosed in full in the funding agreement, which the applicant’s attorney reviews before signing. Availability and terms vary by state.