A Florida woman is suing Lyft, claiming the driver repeatedly raped her and gave birth to her child, according to the complaint.
The alleged attack occurred on April 28, 2019, when the victim was reportedly intoxicated after a party in central Florida and contacted a Lyft driver to pick him up and take him home.
“I'm still trying to process this trauma while also trying to be a mother to my wonderful children,” victim Tabitha Means told reporters during a virtual press conference Wednesday. Told. “I have to become a mother to my biological son, whose father was my Lyft driver. He was my rapist. I love my children very much, but the greatest blessing in life is There are a lot of complicated emotions that simultaneously remind me of my “darkest times.” ”
The driver arrived with a light displaying the Lyft logo on and allegedly directed Means, who was clearly intoxicated, to sit in the front seat of the vehicle. He started making inappropriate comments about her appearance and said she shouldn't go out alone.
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Tabitha Means, a Florida woman, is suing Lyft Inc. in 2019, alleging that a driver raped her repeatedly, resulting in her becoming pregnant and having a child. (Pipher Wolf)
When they arrived at the drop-off location, the driver allegedly stopped the car in a parking space and touched the victim's feet, but she “rejected his advances.” The driver then offered to help the victim get inside, but even though the victim “insisted that she would walk inside on her own,” the driver followed her inside the residence anyway and stopped her. Despite the victim's pleas, he sexually assaulted her.
At one point, the driver allegedly stated that he had “sexual contact with the 'girl' he picked up.” [in a Lyft ride] before you,” the complaint states.
A few weeks later, Means discovered she was pregnant. Her pregnancy was deemed high risk and she experienced three hemorrhages before undergoing an emergency caesarean section and delivering her son at 33 weeks. According to the complaint, DNA tests showed there was a 99.9999999998 percent chance that the Lyft driver was the father of her child.
“Every day is a struggle for me.”
“Don't wait as long as I did to speak up and say something,” Means told Fox News Digital when asked if he had a message for other people who use ride-hailing apps. “I'm so mad at myself for waiting this long and feeling strong enough to open my mouth and say something.”
Her lawsuit alleges that Lyft was negligent in hiring drivers, failed to have adequate safety measures in its app over the years, failed to warn customers of potential risks, and caused emotional distress to the plaintiff. It is claimed that he gave it.
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Means' lawsuit alleges that Lyft was negligent in hiring the sexual assault suspect/driver, failed to have adequate safety measures in its app over the years, and failed to warn customers of the potential risks. He alleges that he caused mental suffering. (Photo illustration: Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket)
“Safety is fundamental to Lyft, and acts like this have no place in our society,” Lyft told Fox News Digital. “The incidents that allegedly occurred in 2019 did not occur on the Lyft platform while using the Lyft app, but rather involved separate trips arranged between the parties. We've worked hard to design policies and features that protect both. We're constantly working to make Lyft an even more secure platform.”
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Lyft also said its investigation and records show that Means took a Lyft ride earlier in the day to get to her destination, but that her second ride home several hours later was not a formal Lyft ride. He told Fox News Digital that there was no such thing. Means' attorney, Rachel Abrams of Pipher Wolf, disputed that claim.
“Tabitha got into the Lyft truck that was ordered and we have a literal ticket for the driver-rapist,” Abrams said. “That's what the driver said.''[A]are you tabatha? when she got into the car. She confirmed that the driver had “finished” her ride without knowing it, and got on. This is one of the problematic features of the Lyft app. In fact, I'm appalled that Lyft is attacking rape victims based on obvious flaws in its platform. ”
Lyft noted that there were no safety or customer service reports through the ride-sharing app, and no police reports were filed. Lyft only became aware of the attack several years after it occurred, and the driver had not worked for the company's rideshare company in years. (Justin Sullivan)
Lyft also said that no safety or customer service reports were filed through the ride-sharing app, that police were not contacted about the incident, and that no police report exists. Lyft only became aware of the attack several years after it occurred, and the driver had not worked for the company's rideshare company in years. The suspect's name is not disclosed in the complaint.
Means said she's “not shocked” that Lyft is “trying to blame” her or force her to “want this or it happened outside of the app or anything like that.” ” he said.
“I rode because I thought it was safe, and rightfully so,” she said. “I see their lights come on, and they say your name, and you get in that car and you're fine. I believe that, and I wish I'd said it sooner.” I'm very angry that I didn't open up, I didn't do everything in my power to get proper treatment. ”
In response to Lyft's statement, Means' attorney, Rachel Abrams of Peefer Wolf, said the incident “certainly involves travel booked through the Lyft app, and Lyft is attempting to avoid liability.” 's attempt is a perfect example of the company's malicious response to this crisis.”
“I rode because I thought it was safe, of course,” Means said. (Kelly Sullivan)
“There is no dispute that Tabitha's Lyft driver repeatedly raped her, resulting in her pregnancy and the birth of her son,” Abrams said. “Lyft is right about one thing: What happened to Tabitha has no place in our society. And as a society, we must strive to protect women from sexual assault. It's unfortunate. The reality is that one in six American women is a victim of sexual assault, either attempted or completed rape, in her lifetime.”
Means and her attorneys are asking Lyft to take additional safety measures for victims and conduct more thorough background checks, including fingerprint checks, on new employees. Training on appropriate conduct for riders, including sexual harassment training. and mandatory cameras in the car with recorded recordings, among other protocols.
“It's scary, but I still hear my conscience saying in my heart, 'I'm doing this. I have to do this. I'm going to be the silenced victim. 'That's what Lyft is pushing me to do,'' Means said. “They condoned and excused the crimes and abuses committed against me while refusing to take responsibility for their negligence. Until this happened, I literally believed that sexual assault was a Lyft problem. I literally didn’t even know.”
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Lyft noted that 99% of all rides are taken without a safety report filed. Lyft reported in its 2021 Safety Report that it received more than 4,000 sexual assault reports between 2017, 2018, and 2019. According to the SEC, Lyft had approximately 23 million active passengers in 2019.
