Los Angeles Workplace Sexual Abuse Attorney

Under California Code of Civil Procedure §340.1 and related provisions, adult survivors of sexual assault generally have 10 years from the date of the assault or 3 years from discovery of the psychological injury, whichever is later. AB 2777 (the STAND Act) created a one-time revival window reopening previously time-barred adult sexual assault claims, with a critical filing deadline of December 31, 2026. Survivors who believe their claim may be time-barred should consult a Los Angeles rideshare sexual abuse attorney immediately to determine whether the revival window preserves their right to sue.

Yes — California law allows survivors to bring civil claims against Uber or Lyft under theories of negligent hiring, negligent retention, and negligent supervision when the company failed to adequately screen or remove a dangerous driver. As Transportation Network Companies regulated by the California Public Utilities Commission, Uber and Lyft are treated as common carriers under California law, imposing a heightened duty of care to passengers. Los Angeles Superior Court has jurisdiction over these corporate defendants because they operate throughout Los Angeles County.

AB 2777, the STAND (Sexual Assault and Violence: Termination of Limitation Periods) Act, amended California law to revive civil claims for adult sexual assault survivors that were previously barred by expired statutes of limitations — including assaults committed in Uber and Lyft vehicles. Survivors must file their revived claims in Los Angeles Superior Court or another appropriate California court before the December 31, 2026 deadline. This window is a one-time legislative opportunity, and once it closes, previously time-barred claims are permanently extinguished without new legislation.

California law permits rideshare sexual abuse survivors to seek economic damages including emergency medical treatment, ongoing therapy, psychiatric care, and lost wages, as well as non-economic damages for pain and suffering, emotional distress, and loss of enjoyment of life. Unlike some personal injury categories, California does not cap non-economic damages in sexual assault civil claims, meaning juries in Los Angeles Superior Court can award substantial amounts for trauma, PTSD, and long-term psychological harm. Punitive damages may also be available against Uber or Lyft if evidence shows the company acted with oppression, fraud, or malice in concealing driver misconduct.

Potentially liable parties include the individual driver under civil assault and battery law, Uber or Lyft under corporate negligence theories for inadequate background screening and supervision, and in some cases, third-party background check vendors that failed to identify disqualifying criminal history. California’s joint and several liability rules under Civil Code §1431.2 can allow survivors to pursue all responsible parties simultaneously in Los Angeles Superior Court. An experienced rideshare sexual abuse attorney can investigate the driver’s full employment and criminal history to identify every viable defendant.

The California PUC requires TNCs like Uber and Lyft to conduct criminal background checks on all drivers and submit annual safety reports under General Order 157, which applies to all rideshare operations throughout Los Angeles County. However, these administrative regulations establish only a regulatory minimum — a survivor may still bring a civil negligence claim in Los Angeles Superior Court even if Uber or Lyft technically complied with PUC requirements. California courts have recognized that regulatory compliance does not necessarily satisfy the common carrier duty of care owed to passengers under Civil Code §2100.

Under California PUC regulations and the rideshare companies’ own stated policies, all drivers must pass background checks that include searches of national sex offender registries and county criminal records. When Uber or Lyft activates or retains a driver with a disqualifying criminal history — including prior sex offenses — this failure can form the basis of a negligent hiring or negligent retention claim under California tort law. California courts in Los Angeles have allowed survivors to conduct discovery into a rideshare company’s internal screening policies and driver complaint histories to establish corporate knowledge of driver danger.

Critical evidence includes the rideshare trip receipt showing the driver’s name, vehicle, pickup and drop-off locations, and timestamp, along with GPS route data preserved from the Uber or Lyft application before the session resets or the account is closed. Medical records from an emergency evaluation at a Los Angeles County hospital, a Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) examination, and any report filed with the Los Angeles Police Department all create contemporaneous documentation that is highly probative in civil litigation. Internal safety complaints or prior passenger reports against the same driver — obtainable through discovery from Uber or Lyft — can demonstrate the company’s pre-existing knowledge of the driver’s dangerous conduct.

Yes — California civil sexual assault claims require proof by a preponderance of the evidence (more likely than not), which is a far lower burden than the criminal standard of proof beyond a reasonable doubt. A decision by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office not to file criminal charges has no legal effect on your right to pursue civil damages against the driver, Uber, or Lyft in Los Angeles Superior Court. In many rideshare abuse cases, civil litigation proceeds independently and successfully even when criminal prosecution does not.

The AB 2777 revival window closes on December 31, 2026, after which previously time-barred adult sexual assault claims cannot be revived without new legislation from the California Legislature. Survivors whose claims were extinguished under prior statutes of limitations — including those assaulted in Uber or Lyft vehicles years ago — must file their complaints in Los Angeles Superior Court before that date to preserve their legal rights. Because gathering records, identifying defendants, and drafting a complaint take time, survivors should contact a Los Angeles rideshare sexual abuse attorney well in advance of the deadline.

California courts can grant protective orders limiting public disclosure, and Los Angeles Superior Court permits survivors to file civil complaints under a pseudonym to protect their identity during proceedings under California Rules of Court, Rule 2.1008. Your attorney can petition the court for additional privacy protections, including sealing sensitive records, restricting media access during testimony, and requesting that the court clear the gallery for a survivor’s testimony. While trials are generally public proceedings, courts have broad discretion under California Evidence Code §352 to balance the survivor’s privacy interests against openness.

California Code of Civil Procedure §340.1, as significantly amended by AB 218, gives childhood sexual abuse survivors until age 40, or within 22 years of the date the plaintiff discovered the connection between the abuse and their psychological injury, whichever is later. AB 218 also created the possibility of treble damages — up to three times the actual damages — against institutional defendants like Uber or Lyft that concealed, failed to report, or failed to take reasonable action against a known perpetrator of childhood sexual abuse. Survivors who were under 18 at the time of a rideshare sexual assault should consult a Los Angeles attorney promptly, as the statute’s discovery rule and AB 218 amendments may significantly extend the filing window beyond what standard statutes would allow.

No — the federal Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act of 2022 prohibits corporations, including Uber and Lyft, from enforcing pre-dispute arbitration agreements in sexual assault or sexual harassment cases. This federal law applies to all rideshare sexual assault claims regardless of any arbitration language in the Uber or Lyft user agreement, restoring your right to file in Los Angeles Superior Court and have your case heard by a jury of your peers. The law applies retroactively to claims arising before its enactment, meaning even older agreements cannot force sexual assault survivors into private arbitration.

Yes — Los Angeles Superior Court has jurisdiction over civil claims arising anywhere within Los Angeles County, which encompasses over 88 cities including Long Beach, Pasadena, Santa Monica, Burbank, and Glendale. Under California Code of Civil Procedure §395, venue is proper in any county where the defendant regularly conducts business or where the tort occurred, both of which apply to Uber and Lyft operating throughout Los Angeles County. Survivors assaulted in any Los Angeles County city, unincorporated area, or city-adjacent rideshare pickup or drop-off zone may file their claims at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse or other Los Angeles Superior Court locations.

Immediately after the assault, screenshot all trip details in the Uber or Lyft app — including the driver’s name, photo, vehicle plate, and route — before logging out or closing the session, and do not delete the app. Seek medical attention at a Los Angeles County emergency room or through SART (Sexual Assault Response Team), as a forensic examination preserves physical evidence and creates a contemporaneous medical record critical to civil litigation. File a report with the Los Angeles Police Department and a separate safety report directly to Uber or Lyft to create an internal corporate record, then contact a Los Angeles rideshare sexual abuse attorney as soon as possible to secure a litigation hold on the company’s driver data before it is deleted under routine data retention policies.