LEESBURG, FL – A Florida woman has brought legal action against the rideshare company, Lyft, in the wake of a traumatic incident in which she alleges a Lyft driver raped and impregnated her in April 2019. As detailed in the lawsuit, she alleges that the driver followed her into her home after the ride and raped her multiple times while she was under the influence of alcohol.
Responding to the allegations, a spokesperson for Lyft argued that the incident did not occur on their platform or during a ride arranged through their app. They asserted that safety was the company’s top priority and that this behavior was not tolerated. They further indicated that Lyft had committed resources to a safety response team and had partnerships for emergencies.
However, the victim, Tabatha Means, and her attorney, Rachel Abrams, maintain that the incident was directly connected to a ride booked through the Lyft app. In the lawsuit, Means alleges that the driver made inappropriate comments during the ride. After the driver followed her into her home, she alleges that he raped her multiple times despite her pleas for him to stop.
A month after the alleged attack, Means suspected that she might be pregnant, which a home test and later her doctor confirmed. The pregnancy was high-risk, and she delivered her son prematurely through an emergency C-section. DNA testing confirmed the probability of 99.9999999998% that the Lyft driver was the father of the child.
The lawsuit includes counts of general negligence, negligent hiring, breach of contract, and strict product liability. It seeks an unspecified amount in damages and demands a trial by jury.
According to Lyft’s statement, they received no safety or customer service report regarding the incident, and the police were not involved. They also noted that the person accused of the alleged crime has not driven for Lyft for several years.
Abrams argues that Lyft’s marketing, which presents the service as a safe alternative to drunk driving, is misleading and targets young women. She counters that Lyft’s background check system is inadequate and calls for stronger measures to ensure rider safety.
“Every day is a struggle,” said Means, grappling with her experience and the mixed feelings associated with her youngest child, who was born as a result of the assault.