Nearly 1,900 Sexual Assault Survivors Urge House Leadership to Oppose Immunity for Uber

WASHINGTON, DC—Nearly 1,900 survivors of sexual assault or abuse by Uber drivers sent a letter today to U.S. House of Representatives’ Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) urging them to remove Fong Amendment 41 from H.R. 8870, the BUILD America 250 Act, before the bill passes out of the House.  The Fong Amendment would grant ride-hail companies like Uber blanket immunity when drivers commit sexual assault or drive recklessly, stripping victims and survivors of any recourse. Congress must make it clear that it stands with survivors—not billion-dollar corporations.  "As survivors, it's deeply disturbing to see our elected representatives allow a provision that wipes out our rights to be slipped into a transportation safety bill in the middle of the night. A provision that immunizes billion-dollar rideshare corporations and strips survivors of their right to seek justice when they’ve been sexually assaulted, injured, or killed has no place in a highway safety bill and must be removed," the letter reads.  The survivors also highlight the disturbing and well-documented reports of sexual assault and misconduct by Uber drivers and detail Uber’s consistent efforts to lobby against stronger background checks for its drivers.   The letter continues, "No court case can take away the pain and trauma we have endured—that will stay with us forever. But we are worthy of the right to try and hold these rideshare platforms legally accountable for failing to protect us when they told us to trust them to get home safely."  These survivors join a chorus of opposition to the Fong Amendment. Last week, 128 Members of Congress and more than 275 state legislators sent their own respective letters to Congressional leadership opposing Uber immunity.
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CONTACT Meredith Rogers Email: [email protected] Phone: (771) 241-9680