A Colorado state lawmaker is suing the ride-hailing corporate Lyft and a Colorado-based transportation outfit after she says she was once sexually assaulted by means of her motive force on a journey final 12 months.
Rep. Jenny Willford, a Northglenn Democrat, spoke concerning the new lawsuit all the way through a information convention within the state Capitol on Tuesday. She stated she was once sexually assaulted in February by means of a person “the usage of any person else’s profile” and who “wasn’t the driving force offered to me by means of the Lyft app.”
Her go well with accuses Lyft of failing to make sure its drivers move required background tests and don’t proportion profiles. It alleges that Lyft rolled again protection protections the corporate introduced after media shops reported a number of years in the past at the extent of sexual attacks by means of drivers on rides organized during the apps of Lyft and its primary competitor, Uber.
“Each and every passenger must know that in the event that they pay for a ride-share, the individual in reality choosing them up suits the driving force indexed within the profile — that the driving force can move a background test, that they meet the felony {qualifications} to be a transportation community corporate motive force in our state, and that they’re protected and the driving force won’t bodily or sexually attack them,” Willford stated.
The lawmaker was once lately elected to her 2d time period within the Space. She was once flanked Tuesday by means of supporters and her lawyers, together with former state Democratic Birthday celebration chair Morgan Carroll.
Her go well with, filed in Adams County on Monday, is in opposition to Lyft and Shanu Transportation, a neighborhood corporate owned by means of Kholmurod Halimov. Halimov was once the registered person of the Lyft motive force profile assigned to select up Willford, in step with the go well with.
However she was once picked up after dinner with pals by means of a unique guy, who was once additionally using a automobile registered to Halimov’s corporate.
The driving force made irrelevant and sexual feedback to her, she stated, and he or she got rid of her heels as a result of she believed she must run out of the automobile. She was once then sexually assaulted close to her house, she stated.
Messages despatched to Lyft this week weren’t returned. Halimov additionally didn’t reply to an e mail searching for remark. The Denver Put up was once not able to touch the person known within the go well with as the driving force who assaulted Willford; it’s not naming him as a result of he has now not been charged with against the law.
James Burlison, a spokesman for the Northglenn Police Division, showed that “a document has been filed” with the police division when requested about Willford’s case. However he declined to remark additional, bringing up the open investigation.
Regardless that she was once assaulted in February, Willford stated DNA samples from the case had now not but been examined. The ones samples are stuck up within the Colorado Bureau of Investigation’s trying out backlog: Company officers informed lawmakers final week that it now takes greater than 500 days on reasonable to procedure kits maintaining sexual attack proof.
Willford referred to as that extend “egregious” and referred to as at the state to deal with it.
Carroll stated no arrest were made within the case on account of the trying out backlog. She stated the alleged assailant was once believed to nonetheless be in Colorado.
Willford and her legal professionals accused Lyft of failing to adequately cope with the 1000’s of shoppers who’ve reported being sexually assaulted, pointing to the corporate’s personal rely of greater than 4,150 incidents over a three-year duration. Willford argued that Lyft had now not completed sufficient to forestall drivers from sharing profiles with unauthorized drivers, together with with some who would possibly not have handed background tests.
The go well with argues that the corporate violated Colorado rules regulating transportation corporations and shopper coverage. It alleges that Lyft rolled again plans to require annual background tests. The go well with additionally alleges that Halimov, Shanu Transportation’s proprietor, do not need handed a background test had Lyft required it, and it accuses his corporate of negligence and false imprisonment.
When Willford informed Lyft about her attack, the corporate refunded her for the $85.53 journey and stated it might now not fit her with the similar motive force once more, she stated.
On account of the attack, she stated, she’s suffered from post-traumatic pressure dysfunction.
“I’ve a platform that the general public don’t have and a daughter to boost on this global,” the legislator stated. “It’s why I’m right here to mention that Lyft must take their systemic issues of sexual attacks, faux profiles, bought or rented profiles, and profile-sharing very critically — and do one thing now.”
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