Uber is facing a lawsuit after a passenger claims he was assaulted by one of the company’s drivers when his request to bring a service dog on a ride was denied.
The lawsuit was filed on Monday, Aug. 18, in Charleston County, S.C., by TC BioPharm CEO Bryan Kobel, 45, according to FOX News and local newspaper Post and Currier.
It alleges that Uber employed Russian national Vadim Nikolaevich Uliumdzhiev, who allegedly used a fake driver’s license to gain employment.
The suit claims Uliumdzhiev brutally assaulted Kobel on April 24 after denying the ride due to Kobel’s service dog. According to Post and Currier, Uliumdzhiev has been charged with second-degree assault and battery and is currently in a United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) processing facility in Georgia.
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The driver reportedly told Charleston Police he was allergic to dogs, which prompted him to deny Kobel’s request, according to Post and Currier. Kobel informed Uliumdzhiev that his dog was a registered service animal and requested the ride be canceled, per FOX.
Kobel alleges that Uliumdzhiev then grabbed him by the throat, headbutted him, and punched him in the jaw, causing him to fall and hit his head. Surveillance footage from a nearby business reportedly captured the incident. The CEO suffered a “severe concussion” and was rendered unconscious.
“The next thing I know, I’m waking up in a hospital bed with seven staples in my head and four stitches,” Kobel told the New York Post. “It’s been a brutal experience.”
He added that it took “about 60 days” to regain “some semblance of a normal life” due to his injuries. “I had to bring our employees into a Zoom call and inform them of what had happened. I couldn’t look at screens. I couldn’t really focus my eyes,” he said. Kobel also described experiencing “a complete loss of vocabulary” and questioned whether he would ever fully recover.
Kobel is being represented by the Law Office of Kenneth E. Berger.
“Riders rely on Uber to know who is behind the wheel,” Kenneth Berger said in a statement. “We’re seeking answers and accountability for how an undocumented individual using a fraudulent ID was able to access Uber’s platform, assault a passenger and flee.”
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Berger emphasized, “Publicly traded companies that profit from public trust must have screening and real-time identity systems that actually protect people.” Regarding the alleged fake license, he added, “If it took our office less than 10 minutes to figure this out, how could a multinational corporation with billions of dollars and assets not do the same?”
The lawsuit lists Kobel’s damages, including “lost enjoyment of life, physical pain and suffering, mental anguish, and medical expenses.” Kobel stated, “Rideshare businesses like Uber are built on trust in the brand and the belief these billion-dollar companies have verified drivers’ backgrounds. This clearly failed. This case is about accountability and safer rides for everyone.”
The suit also alleges that Uliumdzhiev “posed an unreasonable risk of harm” and claims Uber failed “to implement and enforce reasonable safety policy.”
Uber’s driver screening process involves a background check and verification of a valid driver’s license. A spokesperson for Uber told PEOPLE, “There is no place for violence on the Uber platform. While we can’t comment on pending litigation, Uber is deeply committed to safety and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations around worker eligibility.”
