The complaint also accuses Lyft of hiding the extent of sexual assault issues, promoting a culture that silences victims and hindering police efforts to investigate cases. It doesn't tell women how Lyft investigates incidents, whether or not there were prior reports or even whether or not the company has kicked an offending driver from the platform.

The women further blasted Lyft's recent switch to a standardized response to misconduct claims, claiming that it would lead to a "black and white" decision-making process that reduces the ability for humans to recognize and address patterns of behavior. The approach could let predators stay on Lyft "until a more serious incident," according to the lawsuit.

In a statement to Engadget, Lyft didn't say how or if it would contest the lawsuit. It instead focused on how it built safety "into every aspect of our work" and implemented safety "features and policies." You can read the full statement below. The company reiterated that it continously screens drivers for offenses, provides emergency tools like fast 911 access and a "Critical Response Line" for urgent problems.

The lawyers for the women contended that Lyft doesn't do "real screening," though, and that it doesn't properly warn them about the potential risks. They further argued that Lyft hasn't shouldered costs for victims. And importantly, many of the safety improvements only came relatively recently. Whatever Lyft has done to improve safety lately, that won't address previous shortcomings.