North Jersey woman sues after Lyft driver urinates in plastic container, lawsuit claims

A New Jersey woman is accusing a Lyft driver of sexual assault after he allegedly urinated in front of her during a ride earlier this year, according to a lawsuit filed last month.

The June 24 suit filed in New York Supreme Court names the driver, identified only as Luis, and Lyft as defendants in the case. The document claims both parties' conduct "was so outrageous, shocking, despicable, and contemptible that it exceeds the reasonable bounds of decency as measured by what the average member of the community would tolerate."

The woman, a resident of Fort Lee identified in the suit as Jane Doe to remain anonymous, is seeking a trial by jury as well as the awarding of compensatory and punitive damages.

According to the lawsuit, the driver picked up the woman to bring her from her home to work in New York City shortly after 8 a.m. on March 7. At some point during the ride, the driver urinated in a plastic container on a public road on the west side of Manhattan, the lawsuit stated.

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The woman is represented by Thomas P. Giuffra, an attorney for the New York-based firm Rheingold Giuffra Ruffo Plotkin & Hellman. Neither Giuffra nor officials with Lyft responded to a request for comment Tuesday.

The suit contends that the driver's actions caused the woman to suffer "physical, psychological and emotional injuries," including humiliation, fright, dissociation, anger, depression and anxiety.

"Upon information and belief, some or all of these injuries are of a permanent and lasting nature," the suit stated, "and plaintiff has and/or will become obligated to expend sums of money for treatment."

The lawsuit asserts that Lyft "had a duty to take reasonable steps to protect plaintiff from foreseeable harm" while the woman was a passenger in the defendant's vehicle. The complaint also claims the company failed to train its employees and did not properly implement "sufficient policies and procedures" to prevent lewdness, exposure and other types of abuse from taking place.