July 9, 2026
A landmark social media addiction verdict and a U.S. Supreme Court decision overruling state law claims against Monsanto over the labeling of alleged Roundup cancer risks are among Law360’s top personal injury and medical malpractice cases from the first six months of 2026.
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North Carolina Jury Finds Uber Driver Committed Battery
Uber was hit with another unfavorable verdict in the second bellwether trial in multidistrict litigation over driver sex assaults, and another determination that the ride-hailing company can be liable for its drivers’ negligence does not bode well for the company, experts said.
Following a four-day trial and about three hours of deliberation, a North Carolina federal jury in April found an Uber Technologies Inc. driver had committed battery against passenger Brianna Mensing, who accused him of grabbing her leg in 2019, and awarded her $5,000 in damages for emotional distress.
Earlier in the case, U.S. District Judge Charles R. Breyer, who is overseeing the MDL and presided over Mensing’s trial, had ruled that Uber is a “common carrier” under North Carolina law and therefore has a “non-delegable duty” to safely transport passengers.
The MDL, which encompasses more than 3,100 cases, alleges Uber knew since 2014 that drivers for its app preyed on and sexually assaulted passengers and that the company didn’t adopt safety measures such as cameras and enhanced background checks.
In the first bellwether trial in February, an Arizona federal jury determined that the driver was acting as the “apparent agent” of Uber, making the ride-hailing company liable for the assault, and awarded $8.5 million in compensatory damages.
One plaintiffs attorney and former prosecutor praised the outcome of the North Carolina trial, telling Law360 that despite the modest damages award, it was a solid victory for the plaintiffs.
“It’s a superb outcome in terms of the finding of liability against Uber,” said Takisha Richardson of Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC, which is not handling any Uber MDL cases. “The biggest challenge in these cases is whether Uber is liable for the conduct of these drivers.”
The case is important, Richardson said, because it represented the lower end of the spectrum of sexual assaults and showed the company can still be held accountable, even if the driver’s misconduct is to a lesser degree than a rape.
“We all understand what a rape is, and that’s a very simple concept for the broad public to understand,” she said. “But something of this level — the touching of the inner thigh — that, too, is a violation of one’s body and there’s a consequence for that.”
The cases are WHB 823 v. Uber Technologies Inc. et al., case number 3:25-cv-00737, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina, and In re: Uber Technologies Inc. Passenger Sexual Assault Litigation, case number 3:23-md-03084, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
Read Top Personal Injury, Med Mal News: 2026 Midyear Report.