A week after reports surfaced that an Uber executive obtained the medical records of a woman raped by one of Uber's drivers, the woman filed a lawsuit against the ride-sharing company and three of its current and former top executives:
The woman, identified only as Jane Doe, a resident of Texas, is suing Uber and its chief executive, Travis Kalanick, as well as two former senior executives, Emil Michael and Eric Alexander, for intrusion into private affairs, public disclosure of private facts, and defamation. She said in her suit that the three executives believed her rape, in 2014, may have been part of a conspiracy hatched by a competing ride-hailing company or a taxi company. [The New York Times]
Alexander then shared those documents with Uber CEO Travis Kalanick and senior executive Emil Michael, who are both also named in the lawsuit. His intent was apparently to question whether the woman's account was true. The accused Uber driver has been convicted of kidnapping and sexual assault and sentenced to life in prison.
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“Rape denial is just another form of the toxic gender discrimination that is endemic at Uber and ingrained in its culture," said lawyer Douglas Wigdor, who is representing the woman.
The lawsuit comes days after Uber announced that it had fired more than 20 employees following an investigation into company culture. Kalanick announced Tuesday that he would be taking a leave of absence to "work on Travis 2.0 to become the leader that this company needs."
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