A woman who says an Uber driver raped her in New Delhi, India, is accusing the company of failing to properly investigate the alleged assailant's background.
In a lawsuit filed Thursday in San Francisco, the unidentified woman called Uber's service a "modern-day equivalent of electronic hitchhiking" and accused the company of failing to ensure passengers' safety. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages.
The alleged rape last month prompted widespread protests in India against sexual violence and led to demands there for measures to better ensure women's safety. Some protesters have called for Uber to be banned from India entirely.
New Delhi police have said the company could face criminal charges if it misrepresented the safety of its service, and law enforcement officials have already interviewed a New Delhi-based Uber executive.
"Our deepest sympathies remain with the victim of this horrific crime," Uber spokeswoman Nairi Hourdajian said in a prepared statement. "We are cooperating fully with the authorities to ensure the perpetrator is brought to justice."