Uber ordered to pay $8.5m over claim driver raped passenger

A US court has ordered Uber to pay $8.5m (£6.2m) to a woman who said she was raped by a man driving for the ride-share company in a legal ruling that could influence the outcome of thousands of other cases against the company.

The federal lawsuit was heard in Arizona, where a jury deliberated for two days, before finding that Uber was responsible for the driver's behaviour.

Uber said it intended to appeal against the verdict.

The jury rejected additional claims made in the lawsuit, including that Uber had been negligent and that its safety systems were defective.

The plaintiff, Jaylynn Dean, said she was sexually assaulted in the car, while taking an Uber to her hotel in 2023. She said Uber had been aware of a wave of sexual assaults committed by its drivers but had not taken basic action to improve safety.