Published October 5, 2026
Uber has settled the third bellwether case in the federal litigation over sexual assaults by its drivers, reaching a deal on October 2, 2026, after a jury had already been selected in Texas and just days before opening statements were scheduled to begin. The terms are confidential, according to Bloomberg Law and HarrisMartin.
The move is a break from how Uber handled the first two bellwether trials, both of which it took all the way to a jury verdict.
The plaintiff, identified in court papers as Jane Doe QLF 001, said she was assaulted by her Uber driver during a ride in Texas on June 9, 2020. The driver was later criminally convicted and is serving an 11-year federal prison sentence. Her lawsuit accused Uber of negligence in hiring the driver and failing to prevent the assault. Uber had moved for summary judgment in early September, but the case was headed to trial when the parties settled.
Juries sided with plaintiffs in both earlier trials, though with very different results. In February, an Arizona federal jury ordered Uber to pay $8.5 million to a woman who was raped by her driver at age 19. In April, a North Carolina jury awarded $5,000 to a rider who said her driver touched her thigh while making sexual comments. We covered both outcomes in our earlier look at the Uber bellwethers.
Bellwether trials are test cases meant to show both sides how juries value claims across a much larger docket. The federal MDL, overseen by U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer, includes roughly 5,000 cases. A settlement at the courthouse door means no third verdict to add to that picture, but it also shows Uber was willing to pay rather than face a jury on a case involving a driver with a criminal conviction. Lyft faces a growing set of similar claims in its own federal MDL and in California state court.
If you were sexually assaulted, harassed, or attacked by an Uber or Lyft driver, see Atumio's rideshare sexual assault case page for a free, confidential eligibility review, or start your case review directly.