According to the lawsuit, a Florida woman has filed a lawsuit against Lyft, alleging that her driver repeatedly raped and abused her. This resulted in the birth of her child.
The alleged assault occurred on April 28, 2019. The victim was drunk after attending a party in Central Florida, and called a Lyft driver for a ride home.
“I’m still processing this trauma, and at the same, I’m also trying to be a mother to my amazing kids,” Tabatha means, the victim, said to reporters in a virtual conference on Wednesday. “I have to be a mom to my son who was born to me and whose father is my Lyft driver. My rapist. “I love my children so much, but it’s hard to keep the memories of your darkest hours away when your biggest blessing can also be your greatest reminder.”
A driver with the Lyft logo lit inside his car allegedly instructed a clearly drunk Means to take the front seat. He made inappropriate remarks about her appearance and said she shouldn’t be alone.
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Tabatha means, a Florida woman, is suing Lyft for allegedly raping her repeatedly in 2019. She claims that the driver was responsible for her pregnancy and subsequent birth. (Peiffer Wolf)
The driver pulled into a parking spot and “touched the victim’s legs” while she “rejected [his] advances.” The driver offered to walk her into the house, but the victim insisted on walking inside alone. Despite her repeated pleas for him to stop, the driver continued to follow her and sexually abused.
The lawsuit claims that at one point the driver claimed to have had a sexual relationship with “a girl,” whom he “picked [up] in a Lyft before you.”
She discovered that she was expecting weeks later. She had three hemorrhage attacks before undergoing an emergency C section and giving birth to her baby at 33 weeks. The pregnancy was deemed high-risk. According to the complaint, a DNA test showed that there was a 99.9999999998% chance that the father of the child was the Lyft drivers.
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Every day is a battle for me.
When asked what message she would give to other users of ride-sharing apps, Means replied: “Don’t take as long as I took to speak out and say something.” “I am very angry with myself for letting it go so long and not feeling strong enough to speak up and say something.”
In her lawsuit, she alleges that Lyft failed to hire the driver and did not apply adequate safety measures over time. She also claims the company failed to warn customers about potential risks, as well as inflicting emotional harm on the plaintiff.
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The lawsuit filed by Means alleges that Lyft failed to take adequate safety measures, warn customers about potential risks and inflict emotional distress.
In a statement sent to Fox News Digital, Lyft stated that safety is a priority for the company and that the behavior described had no place in society. “The alleged 2019 incident did not occur on the Lyft Platform while using the Lyft App, but was a separate trip that the two individuals involved had arranged.” Lyft is constantly working to improve the safety of its platform. We have designed policies and features to protect both riders and drivers.
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Lyft told Fox News Digital, that according to its investigation and records Means took a Lyft earlier in the day, to reach her destination. However, her second Lyft trip home, which occurred hours later, was not a Lyft. Rachel Abrams, Means’ lawyer at Peiffer Wolf disputed the claim.
Abrams stated that “Tabatha entered the Lyft vehicle ordered for her and we have a receipt of the ride with the driver rapist.” The driver asked her, “Are you Tabatha?” when she got into the car. She entered the vehicle without knowing that the driver had ‘ended the ride’, which is a problematic feature of the Lyft App. “I’m dumbfounded by the fact that Lyft uses a flaw in their platform to attack a victim of a rape.”
Lyft stated that no customer service or safety report was made via the ride-sharing application, nor was there a police report. Lyft was made aware of the incident years after the event. The driver had not worked for Lyft for many years.
Lyft noted that no customer service or safety report was made via the ride-sharing application, and the police were not contacted regarding the incident. There is also no report from the police. Lyft learned about the attack many years after the incident occurred, and the driver had not worked at the ride-sharing firm for several years. The lawsuit does not name the suspect.
Means stated that she was “not surprised” by Lyft’s “attempt to blame” or pressure her into saying “she wanted this or it occurred off-app, or anything else.”
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“I thought I was in safety when I took the ride. “Period,” she said. You can see the light. They call your name. You get into that car and you will be fine. “I’m sorry for not speaking up sooner. I didn’t do everything I could to get the proper treatment.”
Rachel Abrams, Means’ lawyer at Pieffer Wolf in response to Lyft’s statement, stated that the incident “absolutely… involved a trip that was booked using the Lyft App. Lyft’s attempt to deflect responsibility is a perfect instance of its bad-faith handling of this crisis.”
“I thought I was in safety when I took the ride. Period,” Means said. (Kelly Sullivan)
Abrams stated, “There’s no doubt Tabatha was repeatedly raped by her Lyft driver . This led to her pregnancy and birth of her child.” “Lyft’s right about one thing – what happened to Tabatha is not acceptable in our society. As a society we need to do everything possible to protect women against sexual assaults. One in six American women has been raped or attempted to be raped at least once during her lifetime.
Means and her lawyer are pressing Lyft to implement additional safety measures for victims, and more thorough background checks. These include fingerprint-based background check for new hires, training on appropriate behavior with riders, such as sexual harassment training, and required cameras with saved recordings in cars, among other protocol.
“It is scary but I can still hear my conscience telling me, ‘I am doing this.’ I must. I refuse to remain a victim. “That’s what Lyft wants me to do,” Means stated. “Refusing accountability for their negligence, while allowing and exonerating the crime and abuse that was committed against me.” I had no idea before this that sexual assaults were a problem with Lyft.
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In its 2021 safety report, Lyft reported that it received more than 4,000 sexual assault reports between 2017 and 2019. In its 2021 report on safety, Lyft stated that it received more than 4,000 reports of sexual assault between 2017 and 2019. According to the SEC, Lyft reported nearly 23 million riders active in 2019.