Colorado Representative Sues Lyft and Transportation Company Over Alleged Sexual Assault
Rep. Jenny Willford, D-Northglenn, is taking legal action against Lyft and an independent transportation company after she was allegedly sexually assaulted by a driver last year. Willford reported the incident to Northglenn Police on Feb. 24, stating that the Lyft driver made unwanted advances and assaulted her during a ride home.
The lawsuit alleges that the driver, identified as Mukhammadali Mukadyrov, used a Lyft account belonging to Kholmurod Halimov, who owns Shanu Transportation, LLC. Halimov engaged in the illegal practice of “account renting”, where one person passes a background check for a rideshare driver account and allows others to use it, often for a fee, without their own background checks.
Willford’s lawyer, Morgan Carroll, stated that Lyft had a duty to follow Colorado laws and regulations for transportation network companies. The lawsuit also mentioned previous legal action against Lyft for failing to prevent sexual assaults and not disclosing the severity of the issue to shareholders.
Willford expressed frustration over delays in DNA test results from the night of the assault and criticized the backlog at the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Carroll emphasized that if Lyft had taken reasonable steps, Willford and others may not have been assaulted.
Representative Willford emphasized the need for Colorado to address the backlog of DNA and rape kit testing, calling the situation egregious and unacceptable. The lawyer urged Lyft to take steps to prevent future assaults. “What happened to Representative Willford should never have happened to her, and it should not happen to anyone else,” Carroll said.
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