California district attorneys sue Uber over safety issues
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Uber, the online car service embroiled in allegations that one of its drivers in India raped a passenger, is now facing a lawsuit over safety issues in its home state of California. The district attorneys of San Francisco and Los Angeles said on Tuesday they had filed a lawsuit against Uber for misleading customers about its background checks on drivers. Their civil complaint also contends that Uber drivers work at airports without obtaining authorization, and in the case of San Francisco, charge a $4 extra fee to passengers traveling there without paying anything to the airport. The district attorneys are seeking a permanent injunction requiring Uber to stop practices that they say violate California law. "Uber is an integral, safe, and established part of the transportation ecosystem in the Golden State," said Uber spokeswoman Eva Behrend. "We will continue to engage in discussions with the district attorneys." Last week, Uber raised funding that valued the company at $41.2 billion, and is still in the process of raising a convertible bond. It is unclear how much the latest troubles will affect those efforts, if at all, given the company's rapid growth and popularity with users. Delhi authorities said earlier this week that they had arrested an Uber driver after a female passenger said he had assaulted her. On Tuesday, police in Chicago said they were investigating allegations a driver there had raped a customer. Separately, the district attorneys said they settled a consumer protection action they had brought against Lyft, a rival service to Uber. In a related development, a former Uber driver in San Francisco was charged Tuesday with vehicular manslaughter in the death of a 6-year-old girl he struck last New Year's Eve. Uber is also coming under fire in other locations where officials argue the service is unlawful. On Monday, Portland sued to stop Uber from operating and Thailand ordered Uber to cease operations. (Reporting by Sarah McBride; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Ken Wills)
