Uber settles lawsuit with teen sex trafficking victim in metro Atlanta
Uber settles lawsuit with teen assault victim
Uber has reached a confidential settlement in a lawsuit involving a 14-year-old sex trafficking victim who was transported 30 miles to Jonesborough. Court records show the agreement prevents company executives from being questioned under oath following a judge's ruling. The suspect charged in connection with the crime remains jailed in Clayton County after pleading not guilty.
ATLANTA - Uber has settled a lawsuit with a 14-year-old sex trafficking victim in metro Atlanta, resolving allegations the rideshare app was liable for her abuse.
The lawsuit alleges the Uber driver picked up the 14-year-old girl at a deserted gas station in the middle of the night in 2024, driving her 30 miles from Butts County to Jonesboro.
Detectives charged Thomas Bonner with ordering the ride and repeatedly drugging and raping the teenager over several days.
"This young Jane Doe suffered outrageous sexual abuse and trauma," said Joshua Schiffer, an Atlanta-based attorney. "Developing the appropriate protections is the obligation of the employer. In this case, it's Uber."
What we know:
Bonner remains incarcerated in the Clayton County Jail.
He has pleaded not guilty in the case.
"This case has rocked me to the core like no other," said Butts County Sheriff Gary Long in a 2024 interview with FOX 5's Doug Evans. "It could have been the next morning, she was put on a car and sent to the other side of the country, the other side of the world, to enter the sex trafficking trade. It's very big and it's real."
A second man, Dylan Jattan, 33, was also charged in connection with the case.
The backstory:
The lawsuit against Uber alleged that the rideshare company was liable for the teen's abuse.
While Uber denied any wrongdoing in the settlement, the agreement spares the company's CEO from having to answer questions under oath following a ruling by a Gwinnett County judge.
"I imagine the dollar amount, which is always going to be confidential, was substantial and likely went into the millions of dollars," Schiffer said. "[That deposition] could have damaged the Uber value extensively."
Big picture view:
Earlier this week, a federal jury awarded $164 million to a sex trafficking survivor in a lawsuit against the former operator of a College Park motel.
That is likely the largest payout to a sex trafficking victim in U.S. history.
"It's clear that juries are going to hold organizations responsible financially when they aid, abet, allow, encourage wrongful, injurious behavior to occur in and around their professions," Schiffer said.
The Source: This article is based on original reporting by FOX 5’s Rob DiRienzo. FOX 5's Doug Evans contributed to this report. Additional details were sourced from court documents, the Butts County Sheriff's Office, and analysis from attorney Joshua Schiffer.