'They sent a predator': Nurse sues Lyft for failing to run checks on drivers after being raped in one of their cars

Lawsuit accuses Missouri man of assaulting woman after diverting from route to a secluded street

Jim Salter
Friday 24 January 2020 01:11 GMT
Cristen Giangarra speaks to reporters about the night she was raped by a Lyft driver in St Louis.
Cristen Giangarra speaks to reporters about the night she was raped by a Lyft driver in St Louis.

A woman who says she was raped by a Lyft driver in St Louis has filed a lawsuit accusing the ride-sharing company of prioritising profits over passenger safety.

Cristen Giangarra's lawsuit is the latest of several filed by women across the country who have claimed they were sexually assaulted by Lyft drivers. Ms Giangarra, a 30-year-old registered nurse, is listed only as Jane Doe in the lawsuit but she identified herself during a news conference Thursday.

Ms Giangarra said she was assaulted in June by 53-year-old Larry Donnell Ward of St Peters, Missouri.

Mr Ward was charged with first-degree rape and kidnapping in December after DNA testing was completed. Lyft banned him for life. Both Mr Ward and Lyft are named in the lawsuit.

Ms Giangarra said she had been out drinking and contacted Lyft for a ride home.

She said she acted responsibly by not drinking and driving "and ultimately I was punished for this decision."

A probable cause statement in December said Ward turned off his ride-sharing location software, deviated from the route to the woman's requested destination and took her instead to a secluded street. A rape kit was tested and the results matched Ward's DNA, according to the statement.

"This was a vicious attack on an unsuspecting and innocent young woman who trusted Lyft to have screened its drivers to ensure her safety", Ms Giangarra's attorney, Michael Gallagher of Chicago, said in a statement. "When Cristen got in the vehicle that night, she had no idea that Lyft had actually sent a predator to pick her up and take her home."

Mr Ward's attorney, Daniel Juengel, said Mr Ward denies the allegations. Mr Juengel said the lawsuit "shows that this is a case about this woman trying to get money."

Lyft spokeswoman Dana Davis said in a statement that the company launched 15 new features last year aimed at protecting riders and drivers, "including in-app emergency assistance, continuous criminal background monitoring of all of our drivers and mandatory feedback for rides rated less than four stars to ensure we are tracking any level of problematic behaviour by drivers."

Ms Davis said Lyft also has partnered with an anti-sexual violence organisation on required sexual violence prevention education.

"Our work on safety is never done, and we will continue to invest in new features, policies and protocols to ensure Lyft is the safest form of transportation for our riders and drivers", Ms Davis said.

Lyft operates in 656 cities in the U.S. and Canada and was valued at $24b in its initial public offering last year, the lawsuit said.

"Lyft's phenomenal growth is due in large part to lax hiring and security screening processes along with an evasion of regulations that make it easy for individuals to become Lyft drivers", the lawsuit said.

Associated Press

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