Warning: Uber wants your help
Company pushes for "reforms" that could make it harder for people to sue for sexual assault, car crash injuries and liability involving defective car parts
The subject line is clear: “Lawsuits are driving up your ride costs”
Email from the rideshare company Uber arrived in mailboxes this week.
They urge consumers to write members of Congress in support of “reforms”that limit the rights of passengers who experience bad things.
It’s a bold strategy for a company that’s facing an avalanche of lawsuits.
Business has been going well for the San Francisco-based company, which reported $14.37 billion in revenue in the last quarter of 2025 — a 20% increase year over year.
The company ended 2025 with $10 billion in free cash flow, CFO Prashanth Mahendra-Rajah told investors in February.
The forecast for 2026 is steady and consistent growth.
But along with rising revenue and increased demand, Uber is navigating claims from alleged sexual assault victims — amid a push for safety measures that include better screening of drivers.
Now Uber is appealing the verdict a federal jury handed down in February 2026 that ordered the company to pay $8.5 million to Jaylynn Dean who in 2023 had just finished her flight attendant school exams and was preparing to start a new life. She went out to celebrate in Phoenix, Arizona, with a date who put her into an Uber to avoid drinking and driving.
“The driver rode around dark parking lots until he found a spot with no cameras and raped her,” said Tiffany Ellis of Detroit, part of the legal team at Peiffer Wolf that represented Dean. “She called police. She reported it to Uber. He was deactivated. But the question for the jury was, how could this happen in the first place? They believed Uber was responsible.”
The landmark trial sets a precedent for 3,000+ other court cases involving sexual assault and rape allegations.
What the letter says
The Uber email recently sent to consumers not only urges consumers to change consumer protection laws but provides a sample letter to forward to elected officials.
This is what the email says, based on one obtained by Shifting Gears:
“Protect affordable rides with commonsense reform
Meritless lawsuits are driving up insurance costs and fares. Tell your Representative to support federal rideshare reforms.
Hi (Consumer),
At Uber, we’re committed to keeping your transportation reliable and affordable. However, rising insurance costs—often driven by abusive and meritless lawsuits—can lead to higher rideshare fares for riders around the country.
Right now, there is an opportunity in Congress to pass commonsense reform which would help rein in these rising costs.
How you can help: Join us in advocating for Congress to adopt vicarious liability protection for rideshare in the upcoming federal transportation bill. Passing this reform would help:
Reduce meritless lawsuits that waste court resources and drive up the cost of insurance.
Lower rideshare costs for riders like you.
By passing a federal standard, Congress can protect your access to modern, affordable transportation.
Show your support for keeping rideshare affordable by advocating to your Congressional representative today.”
The suggested letter to your congressional representative is acquired by clicking on an embedded link in the email. It urges politicians to protect the rideshare company and “protect” public access to “modern transportation.”
The form letter designed to be read by lawmakers says:
“As your constituent and a frequent rideshare user, I urge you to support affordable transportation options by including vicarious liability protection for rideshare in the upcoming Federal Transportation bill.
Legal abuse is driving up insurance costs, leading to higher fares for riders. This commonsense reform will help rein in rising insurance costs, helping keep rides reliable and affordable for me and other riders.”
Follow the $$
Uber is actively involved in intense lobbying and increased campaign contributions to political officials at all levels who focus on insurance regulation and transporation policy. It reported spending $3.38 million on lobbying in 2025, according to OpenSecrets.org.
During the landmark sexual assault trial, the victim’s lawyers said internal company records showed Uber paid more than $5 million over five years to non-profit advocacy groups including the National Sexual Violence Resource Center for positive advertising.
Uber is also listed as a partner on the Citizens for Affordable Rates (CAR) LLC coalition website, which ties insurance rates to “litigation abuse and rampant fraud.”
The organization doesn’t have a lobbying budget listed on OpenSecrets.org.
However, Citizens for Affordable Rates (CAR) is listed as a registered lobbying entity based in the Bronx, New York, focused on state legislation. The New York Times reported this week that Uber has given about $8.3 million to CAR in support of New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s efforts to reduce insurance rates by limiting lawsuit payouts.
Andrea Stewart-Cousins, the Senate majority leader in New York, said lawmakers wondered if capping liability would actually lower consumer insurance rates. One doesn’t necessarily lead to the other.
Uber litigation and accountability
Litigation has taught companies lessons that do lead to positive change. Often not without a fight.
On April 2, Uber urged a California federal judge overseeing multidistrict litigation for alleged passenger sexual assaults to reverse his tentative decision that Uber is a "common carrier" with a duty to ensure passenger safety, a finding that could impede Uber in an upcoming North Carolina bellwether trial, reported Law360 legal news.
Expectations are different for a tech company vs. transportation company.
This week, Uber said it wants to introduce evidence at the North Carolina trial that the plaintiff was exposed to advertisements from attorneys before she sued, saying the evidence goes to her credibility, Law360 reported.
During the Dean trial, testimony revealed that the rideshare company received more than 500,000 reports of sexual assault, Ellis said. These companies have data that shows high risk situations, when calls come in late, near bars, involving a mixed gender match for passenger and driver, she said.
“A lot of my work in this litigation has been focused on fighting claims of privilege,” Ellis said, where Uber claims the company is protected from disclosing the quantity and types of information collected. “We have been largely successful in efforts to get documents, otherwise held in secret, out into public view. That’s a continuing effort.
In response to questions about rider safety data during the trial, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi answered “I don’t know” or “I don’t remember” at least 14 times in his video deposition played for the Phoenix jury, reported Courthouse News Service.
The CEO, who has held the job nearly nine years, earned $35,595,826 in compensation last year, according to federal regulatory filings.
Uber consequences: What to consider
Uber is a primary player behind so-called tort reform, a comprehensive political strategy to limit the ability of individual victims to collect from companies that have caused harm.
This effort to reshape the justice system targets state lawmakers, encouraging them to support create legislation that legally protects rideshare companies such as Uber and Lyft rather than the voters who elect these politicians.
While OpenSecrets.org reveal mandatory reporting sums, the dollar amounts don’t reflect tens of millions of dollars spent on ballot initiatives, advertising and education campaigns that are exempt from reporting requirements.
Uber is the operating name of the company. It is actually Rasier LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Uber Technologies, that acts as the legal entity for court cases and contracts. For example, the ground transportation agreement with Harrisburg International Airport in Pennsylvania to provide customer pickup services is signed with Rasier-PA LLC.
All eyes on California
These days, Uber is funding a ballot fight in California that seeks to limit what lawyers can collect when they win in court after years of litigation.
“Uber has put about $32.5 million into its effort since last fall, according to campaign finance records,” CalMatters reported in February. “The opposition has committed about $55 million to fight Uber as well as to promote its own competing initiatives.”
A byproduct of this Uber effort could make it harder for riders, pedestrians, and drivers to sue for damages after car crashes, plus limit a consumer’s ability to take car manufacturers to court over defective parts, The Lever reported last month.
“The Uber measure will effectively shift the financial burden of accident injuries onto victims themselves,” warned the non-profit Consumer Watchdog in its report “License to Kill.”
An Uber victory at the California ballot box in November will ripple nationwide.
Currently, consumers from all over the U.S. reading their email find themselves in a position to decide whether corporations should be held accountable when displaying patterns of conduct that causes injury.
More:
Powerhouse lawyer from Detroit plays a key role in Uber, Lyft sexual assault lawsuits
Convicted sex offender from Grosse Pointe to pay $48K annual prison cost
GM warns of unlimited litigation threat for selling private customer data
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Thank you, Phoebe Wall Howard, for yet another powerful piece and for continuing to tell us the truth.
Just got this email/a very similar one as they continue to attempt to mislead the public into supporting bad policy. It was immediately concerning, thanks for this.