Major Lawsuit Filed in South Carolina Court Against Uber for Child Sex Trafficking Resulting in Kidnapping and Rape of Young Girls
Today, Clarkson Law Firm, a prominent nationwide public interest firm, filed a lawsuit in the 16th Judicial Circuit of the Court of Common Pleas of South Carolina in York County against Uber on behalf of two sets of parents and their daughters who were transported by Uber drivers to and from a child rapist’s home an hour away and across state lines. The Uber drivers drove the 12 and 13-year-old girls, without their parents’ knowledge, to a perpetrator’s house where one of the children was raped, and then back home again without raising any concerns. The lawsuit seeks to sound the alarm and hold Uber accountable for being complicit in child sex trafficking, something that has gained the attention of the FBI and the U.S. Congress, but which the company has still refused to address.
“Let’s be clear, this is a horrific and tragic situation that has upended the lives of these families, all made possible by Uber because of their negligence and their steadfast prioritization of profits over safety,” said Tracey B. Cowan, partner at Clarkson Law Firm and head of the Sexual Assault practice area. “As a mother, it terrifies me to know that I could send my kids out to play and an Uber driver might deliver them to a predator just to make a few dollars. Uber is actively participating in and profiting from the trafficking of minors and doesn’t care who it hurts along the way. Uber must immediately implement and enforce common-sense safety measures to ensure that no family ever has to go through horrors like this ever again.”
These families are calling on Uber to make substantial safety changes to ensure the platform is safe, especially for vulnerable children. These changes include implementing safety protocols such as adding cameras in vehicles, eliminating policies that penalize drivers for refusing to transport unaccompanied minors, and requiring drivers to complete comprehensive anti-trafficking training. “Uber knows full well that trafficking of minors is a frequent occurrence on their platform and they choose to ignore it and endanger our children,” said Ryan Clarkson, managing partner of Clarkson. “It’s time for this billion-dollar business to make safety a priority. Uber could make the necessary changes that put a stop to drivers participating in trafficking by allocating just a tiny fraction of the resources they have to the problem. Our hope is that the bravery of these families speaking out will lead Uber to take accountability and add safety features that prevent these types of tragedies from continuing to occur on their platform.”
The plaintiffs note that Uber’s business model actually encourages its drivers to transport minors: Drivers who refuse to pick up unaccompanied minors are penalized for their cancellation rate, whereas drivers who move forward with the transaction earn profit and face no other consequences. The complaint outlines how Uber has intentionally overlooked untold numbers of unauthorized minors using their platform by having no active video monitoring system in place, allowing account holders to let unverified “guests” use their accounts, and refusing to require age or parental consent verification from passengers.
“It should be absolutely alarming to everyone that Uber has continuously ignored their drivers picking up unaccompanied minors, which is expressly against their company policy. And yet, no action has been taken,” said Sara Beller, associate at Clarkson Law Firm. “Simply put, it’s time for action.”
The lawsuit seeks monetary compensation for the pain and suffering, mental and physical damages, medical expenses, and lost earnings, among other challenges, these parents and their daughters have had to endure. The families have called on Uber to put a stop to their active role in the nationwide epidemic of human trafficking and implement proper safety features to protect their users and prevent this from ever happening again.
