In a significant development for public safety and accountability, the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles (Southwest District) granted a Plaintiff’s motion for leave to amend her complaint to add punitive damages against Uber Technologies, Inc. under Civil Code § 3294.
The ruling—issued on November 7, 2025, by Judge Tamara Hall in Dept. 5 —authorizes Plaintiff to pursue punitive damages at trial based on allegations that Uber knowingly kept a dangerous driver on the road despite repeated safety complaints. The Court emphasized recent discovery revealing multiple, serious unsafe-driving complaints about the Uber driver in the months preceding the collision, and that Uber allegedly failed to suspend, train, or remove the driver despite notice.
Discovery revealed five separate rider safety complaints lodged against the driver in the six months before the September 28, 2022, crash—reports describing lane weaving, running stop signs, distracted driving/phone use, improper drop-offs at night, swerving lanes, and removing his hands from the wheel while driving. Plaintiff contends Uber knew about these complaints yet kept the driver active, amounting to a conscious disregard for public safety and ratification of reckless conduct—grounds that can support punitive damages under § 3294.
“We’re grateful the Court recognized the strong showing for punitive damages at this stage,” said attorney Jonathan Davidi of Panish | Shea | Ravipudi LLP. “The record reflects repeated safety complaints that could—and should—have kept this driver off the road. This ruling allows a jury to consider whether Uber’s inaction in the face of those warnings warrants punitive damages to deter similar conduct in the future.”
A First Amended Complaint was filed with the court on Wednesday, November 12, 2025.
As stated in the complaint, Plaintiff in her wheelchair in Inglewood, California when she was struck by a Toyota Prius driven by defendant Eric Pitt-Bey. She sustained severe and catastrophic injuries as a result of the impact, including trauma that ultimately required an above-the-knee amputation. At the time of the collision, defendant Pitt-Bey was operating the vehicle while transporting a passenger through the Uber platform and failed in his duty to operate the vehicle in a reasonable and safe manner.
Trial in this matter is set for August 25, 2027.
Plaintiff is represented by Robert Glassman, Jonathan Davidi, and Tyler Paboojian of Panish | Shea | Ravipudi LLP and co-counsel Daniel Setareh of Setareh Law, APLC.