Transportation chairman warns Uber, Lyft against missing upcoming hearing

House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) on Monday sent letters to ride-sharing giants Uber and Lyft warning them not to miss an upcoming hearing.

“I intend to pursue legislative solutions to address numerous issues plaguing the ride hailing industry, many of which will be raised at this hearing," DeFazio wrote in letters to Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi and Lyft CEO Logan Green.

"These include conditions governing your partnerships with States and local governments and transit agencies, the labor impacts of your business model, and disturbing reports of public safety problems among those who use your platform. If you do not send a representative to testify at the hearing, you leave the Committee little choice but to make these policy decisions without your input.”

Lyft last month unveiled new safety features following a string of allegations from riders who say they have been assaulted by drivers. The new features came shortly after 14 women sued the company for mishandling a “sexual predator crisis” among its drivers.

Uber has promised to release a transparency report with data on sexual assaults this year. An investigation last year found that more than 100 Uber drivers had been accused of sexual assault or abuse over the past four years. read more »

California Sex Abuse Law Likely to Spur Thousands of Claims

Attorneys predict thousands of lawsuits will be filed against alleged child molesters as well as the institutions that employed them in California under a new law taking effect next year.

Thousands of lawsuits will be filed against alleged child molesters as well as the institutions that employed them under a new California law taking effect next year, attorneys predicted Monday. read more »

1 in 3 Undergraduate Women At USC Sexually Assaulted On Campus 

The University of Southern California is one of 33 public and private universities that recently took part in a national sexual misconduct survey — four years after the first one — that found 1 in 4 female undergrads reported that they were sexually assaulted on campus nationally.

At USC, that number was 1 in 3. read more »