An Arizona federal jury on Thursday found that Uber wasn't negligent with respect to rider safety but was liable for the actions of a driver who allegedly sexually assaulted a passenger in 2023, awarding the rider $8.5 million in damages in the first such federal bellwether trial.

Uber said that a jury's verdict in a sexual assault bellwether trial clearing the company of negligence claims "affirms that Uber acted responsibly and has invested meaningfully in rider safety. We will continue to put safety at the heart of everything we do." (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images) The jury of six women and three men deliberated for about 12 hours over three days before finding that the driver was acting as the "apparent agent" of Uber, making the ride-sharing company liable for the sexual assault. The jury awarded $8.5 million in compensatory damages, but declined to award any punitive damages.

Jurors rejected claims that Uber was negligent with respect to rider safety, and the award was far below the $144 million in compensatory and punitive damages that the plaintiff had sought.

The verdict wraps a three-week trial in the first federal lawsuit to go before a jury over Uber's liability for assaults committed by its drivers. The plaintiff in the test case says she relied on Uber's representations regarding its security and safety measures when she booked a ride through the app after an evening of drinking — and then was raped by her Uber driver.

During closing arguments on Tuesday, a lawyer for plaintiff Jaylynn Dean urged the jury to award the woman $24 million in compensatory damages for her emotional suffering and another $120.2 million to "punish" Uber.

Deborah Chang of Chang Klein LLP told jurors that Uber concealed critical safety information from women about how the risks of sexual assault are higher for women who are alone, who are intoxicated, and who are traveling late at night. Meanwhile, the company funneled billions of dollars in marking that touted Uber as their safest option, "to lull these vulnerable women into a false sense of security," Chang said.

A significant damages award would get the attention of Uber and the ride-hailing industry at large, Chang said.

Dean filed her suit in December 2023, weeks after the alleged sexual assault in Tempe, Arizona.

She raised three claims: negligence, product defect and "apparent agency," a legal doctrine in which a principal is held liable for an agent's actions by a third party who believed an agency relationship existed.

Uber maintains that its app only connects passengers with independent contractors who provide the rides.

During Uber's closing argument on Tuesday, the company's lawyer told the jury that Uber has acted with reasonable care.

"What happened in that car was not foreseeable," said Kim Bueno of Kirkland & Ellis LLP. "There is not a defective design of this app."

Bueno reminded jurors on Tuesday that the driver claims the sex was consensual, although that was also against Uber's rules for drivers.

Uber did regular background checks on the driver, there's no evidence that he had a criminal background, and he had positive reviews, mostly five-star ratings, she said. Bueno also went over safety measures she said Uber has implemented over the years to reduce sexual assaults.

The suit names Uber Technologies Inc. and its subsidiaries Raiser LLC and Rasier-Ca LLC as defendants.

An Uber spokesperson said in a statement Thursday afternoon the company plans to appeal the jury's decision on liability for the driver's actions.

"The jury rejected claims that Uber was negligent and that our safety systems were defective. They awarded an amount far below what was sought, and declined to award punitive damages altogether," the spokesperson said. "This verdict affirms that Uber acted responsibly and has invested meaningfully in rider safety. We will continue to put safety at the heart of everything we do."

Co-lead counsel for the plaintiffs, Sarah London of Girard Sharp, welcomed the jury's decision.

"Today's verdict validates the thousands of survivors who have come forward at great personal risk to demand accountability against Uber for its focus on profit over passenger safety," London said. "The jury heard extensive evidence about Uber's practices and recognized that Uber is responsible for the conduct of its drivers."

She praised the decision as a victory for her client, but warned that "the work is far from over" after this first trial.

"Thousands of cases remain, and justice will ultimately be measured by the outcomes of the ongoing litigation and whether meaningful safety reforms are implemented to protect passengers going forward," London said.

San Francisco-based U.S. District Judge Charles R. Breyer, who is overseeing the multidistrict litigation, presided over the trial in Phoenix, which began Jan. 13.

On Tuesday, outside the jury's presence, Judge Breyer announced to the parties that the next bellwether in the MDL will begin on April 12 in North Carolina.

In September, a state court jury in San Francisco considered similar allegations in the first such state court bellwether trial. That jury held that Uber was negligent with respect to safety measures it took to protect a passenger who says she was sexually assaulted by her driver. But the jury concluded that Uber wasn't liable for damages because its negligence wasn't a substantial factor in causing her harm.

Dean and the plaintiffs in the MDL are represented by co-lead counsel Sarah R. London of Girard Sharp LLP, Rachel B. Abrams of Peiffer Wolf Carr Kane Conway & Wise LLP, Roopal P. Luhana of Chaffin Luhana LLP, Alexandra M. Walsh of Anapol Weiss and Deborah Chang of Chang Klein LLP.

Uber Technologies Inc., Rasier LLC and Rasier-Ca LLC are represented by Laura Vartain Horn, Kim Bueno, Allison M. Brown, Tara L. Blake and Jessica Davidson of Kirkland & Ellis LLP and Sabrina H. Strong and Jonathan Schneller of O'Melveny & Myers LLP.

The case is Jaylyn Dean v. Uber Technologies Inc. et al., case number 2:25-cv-04276, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona. The MDL is In re: Uber Technologies Inc., Passenger Sexual Assault Litigation, case number 3:23-md-03084, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Northern California.