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.
The case marks a critical moment for Uber as it represents the first of thousands of pending sexual assault lawsuits against the company to reach trial. The outcome could influence how courts handle similar cases and potentially affect Uber's liability in future litigation.
During the questioning, London systematically probed Khosrowshahi's knowledge of safety statistics and risk factors that could help prevent sexual assaults on the platform. The CEO's repeated claims of ignorance regarding data that would seem central to passenger safety raised questions about executive oversight at the rideshare giant.
The deposition highlighted a stark contrast between the detailed questions about safety metrics and the CEO's apparent lack of familiarity with such data. This disconnect became particularly pronounced when London asked about specific risk factors that research has shown correlate with higher assault rates.
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, suggesting the company's relationship with safety organizations may be more complex than initially presented.
The trial puts Uber's safety practices under intense scrutiny as the company faces mounting pressure to address sexual assault incidents on its platform. Dean's lawsuit alleges that Uber's current safety measures are insufficient and that the company has failed to implement obvious precautions that could protect vulnerable passengers.
The plaintiff's legal team appears to be building a case that Uber has been willfully ignorant of data that could help prevent assaults, particularly those involving intoxicated passengers during high-risk time periods. Their strategy seems focused on demonstrating that the company's leadership lacks adequate knowledge of safety statistics despite having access to extensive ride data.
For Uber, the case represents a significant legal and public relations challenge. The company has long maintained that sexual assaults are extremely rare on its platform, citing statistics showing incidents occur in fewer than 1 in 5 million rides. However, the CEO's deposition suggests the company may not be actively monitoring or analyzing the specific circumstances that make assaults more likely to occur.
The trial is expected to continue as both sides present their cases to the nine-person jury. The outcome could set important precedents for how rideshare companies are held accountable for passenger safety and what level of knowledge executives are expected to have regarding safety statistics and risk factors on their platforms.