Uber Sued for $1M in Dallas Rape Case Involving Driver with Criminal Record

Uber is facing yet another lawsuit – this time from a Dallas woman who says she was raped by one of the company’s drivers last month. We recently reported on the case, in which Uber driver Tal...
Uber Sued for $1M in Dallas Rape Case Involving Driver with Criminal Record
Written by Josh Wolford

Uber is facing yet another lawsuit – this time from a Dallas woman who says she was raped by one of the company’s drivers last month.

We recently reported on the case, in which Uber driver Talal Ali Chammout allegedly drove a woman to her Dallas home, followed her inside, hit her in the back of the head, and raped her. Chammout has a criminal record, and served time in prison on federal weapons charges. He was just released in 2012.

On top of that, Chammout didn’t even have a valid permit.The city of Dallas said it never would’ve allowed Chammout behind the wheel – but somehow Uber did.

Uber called it a “mistake” and said it was a “terrible situation.”

Now, the woman who was attacked is suing Uber for “more than $1 million” to cover medical expenses and damages, according to the Dallas Morning News. The lawsuit claims Uber was negligent when it let Chammout slips through the cracks of its background checks.

“Uber’s actions were akin to letting a tiger loose in a shopping mall. After Uber began pairing Chammout with unsuspecting women, the question was not whether Chammout would strike, but when and against whom,” reads the lawsuit.

As you’re likely well aware, Uber has had to deal with a plethora of incidents over the years – many of them incredibly violent. Since Uber began to spread across the country and around the world, its drivers have been accused of beating, raping, and stealing from passengers. This has led many to question the company’s background checks.

Uber calls its background screening “rigorous,” saying “all Uber ridesharing and livery partners must go through a rigorous background check. The three-step screening we’ve developed across the United States, which includes county, federal and multi-state checks, has set a new standard. These checks go back 7 years, the maximum allowable by the Fair Credit Reporting Act. We apply this comprehensive and new industry standard consistently across all Uber products, including uberX.”

Earlier this week, a South Carolina woman said a 39-year-old sixth-grade social studies teacher moonlighting as an Uber driver sexually assaulted her.

Image via Uber

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