CEO tight-lipped in Uber sexual assault deposition 

PHOENIX (CN) — Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi claimed ignorance of rider safety data in a deposition he gave for the first of thousands of pending sexual assault lawsuits lodged at the tech giant to reach trial.

Attorneys representing Jaylynn Dean, who says she was raped by her Uber driver in 2023, asked whether the CEO knew that reported rapes during Uber rides increased 3% from 2022 to 2023.

“I don’t know,” Khosrowshahi said.

In the video, played for a nine-person jury in a Phoenix courtroom Friday morning, plaintiff attorney Sarah London asked whether Khosrowshahi had asked any of his employees about sexual assault statistics in 2022 or 2023.

“I don’t remember,” he replied.

“Is that a concern to you?” she asked.

“It’s definitely something that could be of concern,” he replied.

London asked if Khosrowshahi would take action on that concern following the deposition.

“I don’t know what I’m gonna do after this deposition,” he answered.

Khosrowshahi answered with “I don’t know” or “I don’t remember” to at least 14 questions in the short video.

Dean sued Uber in December 2023, saying the company failed to adopt reasonable safety measures that could have prevented her driver from sexually assaulting her while she was intoxicated in the back seat. She said stronger background checks and mandatory in-car cameras would be a start.

Khosrowshahi said the company has “done everything we can to the best of our abilities” to reduce sexual assaults in Uber rides, which Uber says occur in fewer than 1 in 5 million rides. Dean countered that Uber overlooks risk factors that make assaults more likely for intoxicated women.

London asked Khosrowshahi whether he knew assault rates for rides after 9 p.m., those starting within 50 meters of bars, or those involving passengers who had been drinking.

“I don’t know,” he replied to all three.

Khosrowshahi also said he didn’t know that reported interpersonal conflicts are disproportionately concentrated on late-night and weekend rides. London asked him whether the public has the right to see that data.

“I don’t know,” he said.

In Uber’s opening statement Jan. 13, Uber attorney Kim Bueno told jurors the company has been praised by sexual assault prevention groups for safety measures such as RideCheck, an emergency button and an algorithm that matches drivers and riders based on risk factors including past behavior, time of day and pickup location.

Dean’s attorneys said Friday that Uber paid at least $500,000 to five advocacy nonprofits for positive advertising. Internal records show the company spent more than $5 million over five years on a program called “Driving Change,” contracting with groups such as the National Sexual Violence Resource Center and Raliance for “quid pro quo” public relations.

In a deposition video played Friday, Uber’s director of global public safety, Emily Bowman, said the company has been transparent about its ties to advocacy groups, but did not say whether the public should know Uber paid for their support.

Dean’s attorneys expect to end their case-in-chief Monday, examining two more expert witnesses and Dean herself. Most testimony so far has been by video deposition, but Dean will testify in person.

Uber says it will rest its case-in-chief before the end of the day Friday, when U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer will hand the case to the jury.

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