Are Uber Kidnapping & False Imprisonment Claims in the MDL?

Yes, kidnapping and false imprisonment claims are included in MDL No. 3084, currently pending in the Northern District of California under Senior District Judge Charles R. Breyer.

This consolidation brings together over 2,500 cases alleging various forms of driver misconduct against Uber passengers, including sexual assault, harassment, kidnapping, restraint, and other safety violations.

The litigation represents one of the largest rideshare safety cases in United States history, with the number of claims growing from just 22 initial cases when the MDL was established in October 2023 to 2,583 pending lawsuits as of September 2025.

The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation created MDL 3084 to efficiently handle the surge of similar claims against Uber by consolidating pretrial proceedings while preserving each plaintiff’s individual right to pursue compensation for their unique damages.

This centralized approach allows assault survivors from across the country to coordinate legal strategies, share the costs of expensive discovery, and present a unified challenge to Uber’s alleged systemic failures in passenger safety and driver screening.

Grasping Multidistrict Litigation Procedures

Multidistrict litigation operates under 28 U.S.C. § 1407, a federal statute that authorizes the consolidation of civil cases from different federal districts when they share common questions of fact.

Unlike class actions where a representative plaintiff sues on behalf of an entire group, MDL preserves each individual’s separate lawsuit while streamlining the expensive and time-consuming pretrial phase.

This distinction matters for assault victims because they retain full control over their own cases, including decisions about settlement offers and whether to proceed to trial.

The MDL structure delivers key advantages for plaintiffs pursuing kidnapping and false imprisonment claims through:

• Shared Discovery Resources: Plaintiffs collectively obtain internal Uber documents, driver screening records, and safety reports that individual litigants could not afford to pursue alone
• Coordinated Expert Testimony: The litigation pools resources to hire leading experts in transportation safety, background screening practices, and trauma psychology who testify across multiple cases
• Bellwether Trial Strategy: Selected test cases go to trial first, establishing verdict ranges that inform settlement negotiations for thousands of remaining claims
• Preserved Individual Rights: Each plaintiff maintains their own lawsuit and can accept or reject settlement offers based on their specific circumstances and damages
• Efficient Pretrial Proceedings: Common legal motions, such as challenges to arbitration clauses or disputes over document production, are resolved once for all cases rather than repeatedly in different courts

Judge Breyer appointed leadership teams representing both plaintiffs and Uber to coordinate the litigation efficiently.

The court also designated the Honorable Gail A. Andler (Ret.) as Settlement Master in March 2025 to facilitate potential global settlement negotiations between the parties.

These appointments signal the court’s commitment to moving the litigation toward resolution while protecting the rights of assault survivors who experienced kidnapping, false imprisonment, sexual assault, and other forms of driver misconduct.

TruLaw partners with litigation leaders handling cases within MDL 3084 to provide clients with immediate case evaluations and access to experienced attorneys who understand the intricacies of rideshare assault litigation.

This partnership ensures that victims of kidnapping and false imprisonment receive the legal support necessary to hold Uber accountable for safety failures that enabled these traumatic incidents.

Current Status of the Uber MDL

MDL 3084 has grown dramatically since its establishment on October 4, 2023, when the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation consolidated 22 initial cases from 11 different federal districts.

The litigation experienced rapid expansion throughout 2024 and into 2025, with case filings accelerating as more assault survivors came forward to seek justice.

By August 2024, the MDL included 387 pending cases, but that number surged to 1,459 cases by December 2024.

As of September 2, 2025, according to official Judicial Panel statistics, the MDL now encompasses 2,583 pending lawsuits representing victims from at least 29 states.

Key developments in the litigation have unfolded as follows:

• October 4, 2023: Judicial Panel establishes MDL 3084 in the Northern District of California
• December 2023: Judge Breyer appoints plaintiff leadership structure to coordinate cases
• Early 2024: Discovery phase begins with extensive document requests to Uber
• March 2025: Court appoints Settlement Master Gail A. Andler to facilitate negotiations
• September 2025: Case count reaches 2,583 pending lawsuits with new filings continuing monthly

Parallel to the federal MDL, over 600 additional Uber assault cases proceed through California state court under a coordinated proceeding known as the Judicial Council Coordination Proceeding (JCCP).

The first state court trial began in September 2025, with the jury deliberating on claims that Uber’s safety failures enabled a driver to sexually assault a passenger.

The outcome of this state trial, combined with the upcoming federal bellwether trials, will provide important benchmarks for valuing kidnapping and false imprisonment claims throughout the litigation.

The litigation currently remains in the pretrial phase, with attorneys conducting depositions of Uber executives, analyzing internal company communications about passenger safety, and preparing cases for the bellwether trial process.

Discovery has revealed information about Uber’s driver screening procedures, responses to prior passenger complaints, and internal discussions regarding safety feature implementation.

These discoveries form the foundation for claims that Uber’s corporate negligence created an environment where drivers could kidnap and restrain passengers with minimal oversight or accountability, increasing the likelihood of harm to vulnerable passengers.

If you or a loved one experienced kidnapping, false imprisonment, or other forms of assault during an Uber ride, you may be eligible to seek compensation.

Contact TruLaw using the chat on this page to receive an instant case evaluation and determine whether you qualify to file an Uber Sexual Assault Lawsuit today.

MDL 3084 encompasses a wide spectrum of driver misconduct allegations extending far beyond sexual assault to include kidnapping, false imprisonment, harassment, physical assault, and other safety violations.

While sexual assault cases receive the most public attention, the litigation addresses Uber’s systemic failure to protect passengers from all forms of driver misconduct.

According to Uber’s own Safety Reports covering 2017 through 2022, the company documented thousands of incidents across multiple categories, revealing the scope of passenger safety failures.

The consolidation allows the court to address common questions about Uber’s corporate responsibility, inadequate driver screening procedures, and deficient platform safety features that allegedly enabled various forms of passenger harm.

All these different claim types share fundamental legal questions about whether Uber knew or should have known about risks to passenger safety and whether the company implemented adequate measures to prevent foreseeable harm.

Plaintiffs argue that Uber prioritized rapid growth and driver recruitment over implementing comprehensive safety protocols that could have prevented kidnappings, false imprisonment, sexual assaults, and other misconduct.

The MDL’s coordinated approach allows attorneys to present evidence of systemic patterns in rideshare companies’ safety failures rather than treating each incident as an isolated event.

Kidnapping, Aggravated Kidnapping, and False Imprisonment Allegations

Kidnapping claims within the MDL involve situations where drivers forcibly took passengers to locations other than their requested destinations against their will, often accompanied by threats, intimidation, or physical restraint.

False imprisonment allegations arise when drivers prevented passengers from exiting vehicles or otherwise restricted their freedom of movement without legal justification.

These restraint incidents frequently preceded or accompanied sexual assaults, as drivers used locked doors and child safety locks to trap victims inside vehicles while ignoring pleas to stop or let them out.

Court documents reveal disturbing patterns of driver behavior, including:

• Drivers engaging child safety locks to prevent passengers in the backseat from opening doors
• Refusing rider requests to stop the vehicle or let them exit
• Taking deliberately circuitous routes to isolated locations while ignoring GPS directions
• Threatening passengers who attempted to leave or call for help
• Physically blocking passengers from exiting the vehicle from either the front seat or backseat
• Driving passengers to locations other than their requested destinations
• Continuing trips after passengers fell asleep and changing destinations without consent
• Using a firearm or gun to threaten passengers at gunpoint

Multiple criminal cases demonstrate the reality of these allegations.

In May 2019, Richard Lomotey, a Pennsylvania State University assistant professor working as an Uber driver, was charged with kidnapping and false imprisonment after allegedly picking up two women, ignoring GPS directions, locking the car doors, and telling the victims “you’re not going anywhere.”

The women escaped, but prosecutors from the district attorney’s office later connected Lomotey to a third kidnapping incident that same night.

Similarly, in 2019, Zacharias Georgalis faced charges of unlawful restraint after repeatedly locking his vehicle doors while passengers attempted to exit, deviating from the intended route while the vehicle was moving.

In June 2023, another driver named Chami was taken into custody after detectives investigated reports of suspicious behavior during a trip where a woman and her daughter were threatened.

These patterns of behavior demonstrate that kidnapping and false imprisonment represent genuine threats within the rideshare context, not isolated incidents.

Several drivers who pleaded guilty to these crimes were sentenced to prison terms, though many were released after serving partial sentences.

Plaintiffs in the MDL argue that Uber’s screening failures and lack of in-vehicle safety features created an environment where drivers could restrict passenger movement with minimal risk of immediate detection or intervention by police until after an arrest occurred.

The absence of panic buttons directly connected to law enforcement, real-time route monitoring with deviation alerts, and mandatory in-car recording capabilities allegedly enabled drivers to restrain passengers before assaults or other violent crime occurred.

Uber released a statement claiming efforts to improve safety through new features, though critics argue these changes came too late for thousands of victims.

If you experienced kidnapping or false imprisonment during an Uber ride, TruLaw can immediately evaluate your eligibility to join MDL 3084.

These restraint cases represent serious violations of passenger safety that may warrant substantial compensation for the trauma and fear you endured.

Range of Misconduct Covered

The MDL addresses a comprehensive range of driver misconduct allegations spanning from verbal harassment to physical violence, sexual assault, kidnapping, and in tragic cases, passenger deaths (including those where riders were sexually assaulted).

Uber’s U.S. Safety Reports documented over 12,500 serious incidents between 2017 and 2022, though sealed court records referenced in a 2025 New York Times investigation suggest the actual number of reported sexual assault and misconduct incidents may be higher, with charges often dropped before prosecution.

The litigation’s scope reflects the reality that Uber’s alleged safety failures affected passengers across multiple categories of harm.

MDL 3084 consolidates claims spanning multiple categories of driver misconduct:

• Sexual Harassment: Unwanted sexual comments, propositions, requests for dates or contact information, and verbal sexual advances that create hostile environments
• Non-Consensual Touching: Inappropriate physical contact ranging from touching non-sexual body parts to touching sexual body parts without consent
• Sexual Assault and Rape: Non-consensual kissing of sexual body parts, attempted sexual penetration, and completed sexual penetration
• Kidnapping and False Imprisonment: Forcible restraint, locked doors preventing exit, driving to unintended locations, and restricting freedom of movement
• Physical Assault and Battery: Non-sexual physical violence, threats of violence, and aggressive behavior causing fear or injury
• Stalking and Harassment: Continued unwanted contact after trips, following passengers, and persistent communication despite requests to stop
• Wrongful Death: Fatal assaults and other incidents resulting in passenger deaths

Uber’s Safety Reports categorize sexual assaults into five specific levels of severity:

1. Non-consensual kissing of a non-sexual body part
2. Non-consensual kissing of a sexual body part
3. Non-consensual touching of a sexual body part
4. Attempted non-consensual sexual penetration
5. Non-consensual sexual penetration.

Between 2017 and 2022, Uber documented 12,522 sexual assault reports across these five categories in the United States.

The 2019-2020 Safety Report revealed 3,824 sexual assault incidents during that two-year period, while the 2021-2022 report documented 2,717 incidents.

While Uber highlighted decreases in reported rates, the absolute numbers demonstrate thousands of passengers experienced sexual violence annually.

Beyond the five tracked sexual assault categories, the litigation encompasses broader misconduct that Uber does not publicly report in detail, including incidents affecting children using the service.

Plaintiffs present evidence that Uber received reports of concerning driver behavior including aggressive driving, inappropriate comments, boundary violations, and prior complaints yet allegedly allowed drivers to continue operating without adequate investigation or removal, with some drivers later taken into custody following additional incidents.

This pattern appears in multiple bellwether cases, including the Dean v. Uber case scheduled for trial in December 2025, where the plaintiff alleges Uber received multiple complaints about her driver including lewd comments and sexual touching before he allegedly raped her.

The common thread connecting these diverse allegations is the claim that Uber’s corporate decisions enabled this misconduct through inadequate background screening, failure to respond appropriately to passenger complaints, insufficient driver training on professional boundaries, and refusal to implement available safety technologies.

Plaintiffs argue these systemic failures created a foreseeable risk of harm that materialized in thousands of incidents affecting passengers nationwide.

TruLaw partners with litigation leaders handling the full range of claims within MDL 3084, ensuring that victims of any form of driver misconduct receive experienced legal representation.

Whether you experienced verbal harassment, physical restraint, sexual assault, or another violation during an Uber ride, you may be eligible to seek compensation through this historic litigation.

If you experienced any form of driver misconduct during an Uber ride, including kidnapping, false imprisonment, or sexual assault, you may have grounds for compensation.

Contact TruLaw using the chat on this page for a free instant case evaluation to see if you qualify to join the Uber Sexual Assault MDL.

Our Uber sexual assault attorney at TruLaw is dedicated to supporting survivors through the process of filing an Uber sexual assault lawsuit.

With extensive experience in personal injury and sexual assault litigation cases, Jessica Paluch-Hoerman and our partner law firms work with trauma experts and safety advocates to prove how Uber’s negligent safety practices and inadequate driver screening led to your harm.

TruLaw focuses on securing compensation for medical expenses, therapy costs, lost wages, pain and suffering, emotional distress, and other damages resulting from sexual assault or harassment during Uber rides.

We understand the profound physical and emotional trauma that sexual assault survivors experience and provide the compassionate, confidential guidance you need when seeking justice.

Meet the Lead Uber Sexual Assault Attorney at TruLaw

Meet our lead Uber sexual assault attorney:

• Jessica Paluch-Hoerman: As founder and managing attorney of TruLaw, Jessica brings her extensive experience in personal injury litigation and victim advocacy to her client-centered approach by prioritizing confidentiality, compassion, and personalized attention with survivors. Through TruLaw and partner law firms, Jessica has helped collect over $3 billion on behalf of injured individuals across all 50 states through verdicts and negotiated settlements.

How much does hiring an Uber sexual assault lawyer from TruLaw cost?

At TruLaw, we believe financial concerns should never stand in the way of justice.

That’s why we operate on a contingency fee basis with this approach, you only pay legal fees after you’ve been awarded compensation for your injuries.

If you or a loved one experienced sexual assault, sexual harassment, unwanted sexual contact, or other forms of sexual violence during an Uber ride, you may be eligible to seek compensation.

Contact TruLaw using the chat on this page to receive an instant case evaluation and determine whether you qualify to join others in filing an Uber Sexual Assault Lawsuit today.

Uber sexual assault lawsuits are being filed by survivors across the country who experienced sexual assault, sexual harassment, or other forms of sexual violence during Uber rides.

TruLaw is currently accepting clients for the Uber sexual assault lawsuit.

A few reasons to choose TruLaw for your Uber sexual assault lawsuit include:

• If We Don’t Win, You Don’t Pay: The Uber sexual assault lawyers at TruLaw and our partner firms operate on a contingency fee basis, meaning we only get paid if you win.
• Expertise: We have decades of experience handling personal injury and sexual assault cases similar to the Uber lawsuit.
• Successful Track Record: TruLaw and our partner law firms have helped our clients recover billions of dollars in compensation through verdicts and negotiated settlements.

If you or a loved one experienced sexual assault, sexual harassment, unwanted sexual contact, or other forms of sexual violence during an Uber ride, you may be eligible to seek compensation.

Contact TruLaw using the chat on this page to receive an instant case evaluation that can determine if you qualify to join others in filing an Uber Sexual Assault Lawsuit today.