Rideshare Sexual Assault (Uber/Lyft) Lawsuit in Pennsylvania

Federal Consolidation — Uber MDL 3084 (N.D. Cal.): Pennsylvania Uber plaintiffs are included in MDL No. 3084 before Judge Charles R. Breyer in San Francisco. Philadelphia and Pittsburgh are major rideshare markets contributing Pennsylvania cases to the MDL. The MDL forum provides access to Uber's corporate-level documents, internal safety audits, and communications regarding driver screening that would otherwise require separate subpoenas in Pennsylvania.

Lyft — California JCCP 5029: Pennsylvania Lyft claims are coordinated in JCCP No. 5029 before Judge Ethan Schulman in San Francisco Superior Court. Pennsylvania plaintiffs may also file in Pennsylvania state or federal courts; however, the JCCP coordination proceeding allows access to consolidated expert testimony and Lyft's national safety records.

Pennsylvania Statute of Limitations: Pennsylvania's statute of limitations for sexual abuse claims under 42 Pa. C.S. § 5524.1 was extended to 12 years from the date of the assault for adult survivors (amended 2019). Minority tolling applies for survivors assaulted as minors, extending to age 30 or 12 years from the assault (whichever is later). Pennsylvania's SVSS Act (2019) also revived time-barred claims for minors. Adult survivors assaulted as adults retain the 12-year period.

Pennsylvania Rideshare Regulations and Mandatory Reporting: Pennsylvania Act 164 of 2014 (TNC Act) requires background checks for TNC drivers including national criminal database searches and sex offender registry checks. Drivers convicted of any sexual offense are permanently disqualified. Pennsylvania's mandatory reporting law (23 Pa. C.S. § 6311) requires certain professionals to report child abuse; adult sexual assault may be reported to law enforcement under Crimes Code § 3956. The Pennsylvania PUC oversees TNC compliance and can be a source of complaint records in civil litigation.