Colorado lawmaker sues Lyft after alleged sexual assault
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An emotional state Rep. Jenny Willford (center) is comforted by her attorney, Morgan Carroll. Photo: John Frank/Axios
Colorado lawmaker Jenny Willford, who has reported being sexually assaulted by a Lyft driver, filed a civil lawsuit against the ride-sharing company this week, arguing it is not providing a safe experience for passengers.
Why it matters: The allegations from a high-profile plaintiff echo those from thousands of other Lyft passengers who have criticized ride-sharing apps, including rival Uber, for not taking passenger safety seriously.
Driving the news: State Rep. Jenny Willford (D-Northglenn) went public with her allegations Tuesday in a tearful statement at the Capitol. She alleged that in February 2024 a driver made lewd comments about having sex and then physically assaulted her as she tried to exit the vehicle.
- The lawsuit, filed Monday, seeks unspecified financial damages from Lyft and Shanu Transportation — a registered transportation company in Colorado. Willford alleges in the suit that Shanu allowed an unregistered driver to use its account, violating the ride-sharing app's policies.
What they're saying: Willford and her attorneys at Burg Simpson allege Lyft knew about the problems with sexual assault and ghost drivers but declined to adequately address them.
- "I have a platform most people don't have and a daughter to raise in this world," Willford said. "It's why I am here to say that Lyft needs to take their systemic problems of sexual assaults, fake profiles … very seriously and do something now.
- "What happened to me never should have happened and I don't want it to happen to anyone else," she continued.
The other side: A contact for Shanu Transportation was not immediately available.
- Lyft spokesperson Adrian Durbin said in a statement that safety is fundamental to the company and they take reports of sexual assault seriously. He declined to comment on the lawsuit.
- In the company's second safety report, issued last July, it reported 2,651 incidents of sexual assault, a 21% decrease from its previous report.
Between the lines: Willford says she reported the incident to Northglenn police, which took DNA samples. But a backlog at the Colorado Bureau of Investigation means she's still waiting on the DNA test result after nearly a year.
- She called on the Legislature to address the 517-day backlog for testing.
- "This is egregious and it's unacceptable," Willford said. "The state of Colorado can and must do everything to end the backlog of DNA and rape kit testing for the sake of every single assault survivor and the public at large."
Editor's note: This story has been updated with a comment from Lyft spokesperson Adrian Durbin.