In January, a judge reportedly ruled that lawsuits taking Lyft to task for alleged assaults committed by drivers can be combined into a single case. This ruling was made despite Lyft’s effort to stop the combination of the lawsuits and comes in conjunction with more riders alleging they suffered sexual assault during Lyft rides, according to the New York Times.

The determination that the Lyft sexual assault lawsuits could be combined was reportedly made by Judge Kenneth R. Freeman of the Superior Court of California in Los Angeles County. Specifically, he ruled that 15 cases could be combined, once these cases are combined, and a coordinating judge is assigned to them, other Lyft cases can be added.

CNET explains that this decision was opposed by Lyft. According to the ride-hailing company, the lawsuits should not be combined because they deal with different allegations. Lyft also argued that the cases should not be combined because many of those in question are from states other than California.

Judge Freeman rejected Lyft’s arguments, reportedly saying that coordinating the Lyft sexual assault lawsuits was appropriate because “the predominating legal and factual issues will examine Lyft’s liability for allegedly failing to institute a system to have prevented the assaults in theses cases and potential future assaults.”

Lyft has stated that it values the safety of drivers and riders, noting that it has implemented new safety policies. These policies reportedly include doing background checks continually. In contrast, some riders have reportedly alleged that the company’s background checks are insufficient, and if a driver has been accused of an assault, they are not removed from being a driver if they were previously approved to be a driver.

Drivers must also reportedly now complete a “community safety education” course, which Lyft considers to be part of its safety measures. In addition to background checks and safety measures, Lyft states that there is an emergency 911 call button located within the app for riders to use if they need to.

Those who filed lawsuits against Lyft have reportedly argued that the company did not do enough to prevent sexual assaults, nor did they take enough action in the wake of them. AP News says that some alleged victims claim that when they did report assaults, Lyft did not take action to help them heal or seek justice.

AP News states that the criticisms and against Lyft, as well as the Lyft sexual assault lawsuits, mark a start contrast from the reputation that Lyft has gained as being socially conscious and geared towards corporate responsibility. According to AP News, while Uber has been hit with some scandals, Lyft came out relatively unscathed until now. 

Now, riders who filed Lyft sexual assault lawsuits are questioning the company’s commitment to values. AP News noted that some critics had felt that Lyft had remained too quiet in the conversation about safety for ride-hailing customers, and how companies can help keep riders and drivers safe. 

As quoted by AP, crisis communications expert Richard Levick put it simply — “Lyft was the non-frat culture alternative to Uber. If that’s who you are, how can safety be an afterthought?” In fact, some critics say that there may be more safety problems with Lyft than Uber, says AP.

This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.