Uber ordered to pay $8.5 million in trial over driver sex assault claims

A US jury ordered Uber on Thursday to pay $8.5 million after finding it liable in a lawsuit brought by a woman who said she was sexually assaulted by a driver when she was 19, a verdict that could influence thousands of similar cases against the ride-hailing company.

The case, brought by plaintiff Jaylynn Dean, was the first trial – known as a bellwether – of more than 3,000 similar lawsuits against Uber that have been consolidated in US federal court. Bellwether trials are used to test legal theories and help gauge the value of claims for possible settlements.