Federal Jury Once Again Finds Uber Responsible for Driver Assault at Second Consecutive Bellwether Trial, Awarding Damages to North Carolina Plaintiff
More Than 3,000 Additional Rideshare Sexual Assault Claims Are Pending in National Multidistrict Litigation
CHARLOTTE, N.C., April 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- A federal jury in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina found Uber Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:UBER) liable for the March 26, 2019 assault of passenger Brianna Mensing, concluding after a four-day bellwether trial that Uber is legally responsible for a driver who grabbed her upper thigh and threatened to take it with him during a ride. The verdict marks the second federal jury this year to hold Uber accountable for the actions of its drivers in the nationwide multi-district litigation (MDL) involving more than 3,000 passenger sexual assault and harassment cases. In February, a federal jury in Arizona returned an $8.5 million verdict in the first bellwether trial.
Judge Charles R. Breyer, who oversees the consolidated MDL proceedings, previously ruled that Uber qualifies as a "common carrier" under North Carolina law, meaning it has a heightened, non-delegable duty to provide a safe ride. As a result, jurors in the North Carolina case were instructed to determine whether the assault occurred and to award damages limited to a single 24-hour day. The jury awarded Ms. Mensing $5,000 in damages, consistent with Ms. Mensing's testimony that she sought accountability and an apology from Uber, rather than compensation.
The following statement is attributable to Uber MDL co-leads Rachel Abrams (Peiffer Wolf), Sarah London (Girard Sharp), and Roopal Luhana (Chaffin Luhana):
"For the second time this year, a federal jury listened to the testimony of a courageous woman taking on Uber, one of the world's most powerful companies, and found her assault claims credible. Most importantly, this verdict is a testament to the bravery of Brianna Mensing and a clear signal that Uber cannot escape responsibility when its drivers assault the passengers who trust it. As Ms. Mensing testified, 'I'm not after anybody's money' – her only motivation was to hold Uber accountable for its driver grabbing her thigh, which was achieved. At trial, Uber sought to undermine the plaintiff's credibility by dragging her personal history into the courtroom and using it to suggest she was not worthy of belief. We would like to thank the jury for seeing it for what it was – a shameful attempt to deflect responsibility."
Four additional bellwether trials will proceed in the coming months. The next two federal court trials are scheduled to begin on September 14, 2026, and will be tried consecutively before Judge Breyer in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in San Francisco.
Ms. Mensing is represented by Sejal Brahmbhatt and John Boundas (Williams Hart & Boundas LLP), and William Smith (Anapol Weiss) served as co-lead trial counsel. The case was overseen by Rachel B. Abrams (Peiffer Wolf), Sarah R. London (Girard Sharp) and Roopal P. Luhana (Chaffin Luhana), who serve as co-lead counsel of In re: Uber Technologies Inc., Passenger Sexual Assault Litigation (MDL No. 3084).
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