Colorado lawmaker files lawsuit against Lyft after alleged sexual assault
Colorado state lawmaker Jenny Willford has filed a lawsuit against Lyft and Shanu Transportation after she claims she was sexually assaulted. Willford, a Democratic representative representing the 34th District, Northglenn and Thornton, made the announcement at the state Capitol on Tuesday alongside her attorneys.
Willford claims the Lyft driver was using another driver's profile on Feb. 24, 2024. She reported the assault to the Northglenn Police Department which confirmed an active investigation.
Willford said last February, she used the Lyft rideshare app that showed her driver to be someone named "Shanu." She said she didn't know that she was actually being picked up by a different, unvetted person using Shanu's Lyft account.
During the drive, Willford claims the driver began making lewd comments and sexually assaulted her. She said she got out of the vehicle and walked to another location that was not her home so the driver wouldn't know where she lived.
Willford immediately went to police but is still waiting on DNA results.
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation's current wait time to test a new rape kit is 517 days.
Willford said that she has had to endure ongoing stress, anxiety, and loss of personal safety since the incident.
"I don't wish my experience on anyone. Sexual assault is insidious and it is a violation of not just a person's body, but of everything they believe to be true -- their heart, their belief in safety, their mind and their very soul," said Willford.
Willford said she was picked up by Shanu Transportation which is a registered transportation company in Colorado. In the lawsuit, the claim alleges the company created a Lyft account using a car in the company's fleet and illegally allowed access to the driver who picked up Willford.
In a statement to CBS Colorado, Rob Low CBI Strategic Communications Director, writes:
"The Colorado Bureau of Investigation acknowledges the backlog to process DNA cases is far longer than any of us want it to be. The primary factor involved former DNA scientist Yvonne "Missy" Woods. She retired in November of 2023 soon after CBI learned of anomalies with her work that required reviewing every case during her 29-year history with the bureau. The CBI Forensics unit had to devote significant staff time and effort to determine how many cases were impacted by the alleged shortcuts Woods took with her work.
The CBI now has 16 DNA scientists on staff and another 15 in training. Additionally, CBI will be hiring additional DNA scientists in the next few months. While the CBI is committed to reducing this backlog with the addition of new staff, it will not take shortcuts. Testing DNA and processing results is complicated, time-consuming work, and provides valuable investigative information towards achieving answers and accountability in our criminal justice system. As the Director stated at a recent legislative hearing, our goal is a 90 day turnaround time. We are in the process of working with many parties to identify the path forward to make that goal a reality as soon as possible.
The CBI continually triages cases with law enforcement agencies and District Attorneys to prioritize testing to meet required deadlines."
Lyft says it's not able to comment on the details of ongoing litigation. Lyft says the company has worked to design policies and features that help protect both drivers and riders.
In a statement to CBS Colorado, Lyft writes:
"Safety is fundamental to Lyft, and the behavior described in this incident has no place in our society. We take reports of sexual assault very seriously, and when incidents such as these are reported to us, our trained team takes immediate action to investigate and works with local law enforcement so that appropriate actions can be taken. In addition, our Terms of Service strictly prohibit the impersonation of another person or entity, and such behavior can and does lead to a permanent ban from the platform." —Lyft Spokesperson
Willford says when she reported the sexual assault to Lyft, they promised to never match her with that user account again and returned her fare. The driver who she says assaulted her has not been arrested.