Consumer Attorneys Of California Announces Over $50 Million War Chest To Support Initiative Campaigns, As Court Rejects Uber’s Bid To Derail Sexual Assault Cases

Fundraising strength, legal developments, and voter sentiment underscore widening challenge for Uber 

SACRAMENTO, CA – Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC) announced today that it has raised over $50 million into its ballot measure committees to fight Uber’s deceptive ballot initiative that “limits automobile accident victims’ recovery of medical expenses.” 

The fundraising milestone comes as Uber suffers a major setback in court. A federal judge this week denied Uber’s motion to delay the bellwether trial in sexual assault litigation, rejecting the company’s attempt to stifle free speech and prevent awareness of their sexual assault crisis. Uber asked the court to force CAOC to stop running ads warning consumers that almost every 8 minutes, sexual assault or misconduct was reported to Uber, yet the company refused common-sense safety improvements. The federal judge quickly denied Uber’s attempt to stop the ads and stop a trial holding Uber accountable regarding an alleged rape.

“It’s a clear pattern,” said campaign strategist Dan Newman, “Uber keeps trying – and failing – to evade accountability, silence critics, and prevent awareness of their massive sexual assault crisis. Our coalition of doctors, lawyers, and consumers is making clear that despite Uber’s endless checkbook, we will not let a multibillion-dollar corporation rig the system or escape responsibility.”

In response to Uber’s flagrant attempt to skirt accountability, CAOC submitted three initiatives in October: the People’s Right to Contract With Counsel of Choice Act, the Sexual Assault Against Rideshare Passengers and Drivers Prevention and Accountability Act, and the Rideshare Public Accountability Act. 

The campaign’s growing momentum is reflected in internal polling showing strong and sustained voter support for all three countermeasures, each substantially outperforming Uber’s initiative in initial testing. With the Title and Summaries now issued, the campaign is hitting the streets, collecting signatures statewide to qualify its countermeasures for the November ballot.