PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - A Hillsboro woman is seeking more than $1 million from the ride-hailing company Uber, alleging she was sexually assaulted by one of the company’s drivers in 2018.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports the woman filed a lawsuit against Uber and one of its drivers, Wosey Yeaney, on Tuesday. According to court documents, the woman alleges assault, battery and negligence and and seeks $1,025,000 and a jury trial.
Uber did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The lawsuit states that the woman called an Uber early one morning in January 2018 and Yeaney picked her up.
According to the complaint, Yeaney’s back passenger doors were locked which forced the woman to sit in the front seat.
The lawsuit states that Yeaney began making sexual comments and said he wanted to “take (her) home” with him. He then sexually assaulted her, court documents say.
The woman got out of the car once they reached her house and, according to court documents, told her boyfriend about the assault and called police. According to the lawsuit, she went to a hospital for a sexual assault forensic examination and made a report to Uber.
Yeaney was charged with four counts of sexual assault in 2018. According to court records, after a jury trial he was acquitted in August 2019.
The woman’s attorney, Sean Riddell, said he didn’t know what led to the “not guilty” verdict in Yeaney’s criminal trial and said he did not know if Yeaney was still employed with Uber.
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