America
Uber rape: Indian woman withdraws US case
By
By Arun Kumar Washington, Sep 2
An Indian woman executive
who sued Uber after allegedly being raped by a driver for the
cab-hailing service in India has voluntarily withdrawn her lawsuit, a
media report said citing a court filing.
The 26-year-old woman
filed her lawsuit in January in the US, about a month after she was
allegedly raped and assaulted on a Uber ride in Delhi.
The
woman's alleged attacker, Shiv Kumar Yadav, was quickly arrested and
confessed to the crime a week later during interrogation, according to
Delhi Police. He is currently awaiting trial in India.
Tuesday's
filing with the US District Court for the Northern District of
California did not state whether there were any terms involved with the
withdrawal, CNet.com reported.
Representatives for Uber and the alleged victim declined to comment.
The woman's New York-based attorney Douglas Wigdor could not immediately be reached for comment.
In
her original lawsuit, the alleged victim accusing the web-based US taxi
firm of focusing on profit over the safety of its passengers, sought
unspecified damages and for Uber to "overhaul" its safety measures.
The
woman detailed 13 separate safety measures she believes the company
should adopt, including requiring drivers to install "tamper-proof"
video cameras in their cars that would trigger an alarm if disabled.
"Uber's
focus on its bottom line over the safety of its passengers has resulted
in what can only be described as modern day electronic hitchhiking,"
Wigdor said at that time.
"We hope that this lawsuit will bring
about positive change that will ultimately protect people worldwide who
are unaware of the serious risks of entering into an Uber car," Wigdor
added.
Uber CEO Travis Kalanick initially also called the crime
"horrific" and said the company would do "everything to help bring this
perpetrator to justice".
But the company argued in April that the
lawsuit should be dismissed because the company had no relationship
with the defendant and because the lawsuit could not be brought in the
US.
"While the plaintiff undoubtedly can state a claim against
her alleged assailant, she cannot state a claim against Uber US, which
is the wrong party," Uber wrote in its motion, saying that Yadav was
working for Uber BV, a Netherlands-based overseas operation.
"Nor
does California law govern a dispute involving an alleged wrong
committed by one Indian citizen against another Indian citizen, in
India."
(Arun Kumar can be contacted at [email protected])