The woman who was allegedly raped in a Delhi Uber cab by its driver, has now sued the San Francisco tech company valued at $40bn for unspecified damages in a US federal court for having “had advanced knowledge of the unfitness of Yadav [the driver], and employed him with a conscious disregard of the rights or safety of others”, reported Reuters, Hindustan Times and others.

She is represented by Douglas Wigdor, whom she instructed earlier this month and who is best-known for having reprsented the New York hotel maid who had accused Dominique Strauss Kahn of sexual assault.

In a 36-page complaint filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of California Thursday, the woman seeks to "slam the brakes on Uber's reckless worldwide expansion at the unfortunate expense of basic customer safety."

The lawsuit which identifies the victim only as Jane Doe, also seeks compensation "for the horrific and brutal rape that she suffered due to Uber's inadequate and disingenuous 'commitment to safety'."

Demanding a trial by jury, the lawsuit seeks a "a permanent injunction directing that Uber take all affirmative steps necessary to remedy the effects of the unlawful conduct" alleged in the complaint, "and to prevent repeated occurrences in the future."

It also seeks an award of unspecified amount of punitive damages to be determined at trial, plus prejudgment interest, to compensate the victim "for all physical, monetary and/or economic harm."

Her New York based attorney Wigdor, in a statement said: "Uber's focus on its bottom line over the safety of its passengers has resulted in what can only be described as modern day electronic hitchhiking."

"We intend to hold Uber responsible for the significant physical and emotional harm it has caused to our client, while simultaneously seeking a court order mandating that Uber initiate certain safety precautions that they appear unwilling to do voluntarily," he said.

"We hope that this lawsuit will bring about positive change that will ultimately protect people worldwide who are unaware of the serious risks of entering into an Uber car," Wigdor added.

Jeanne M Christensen, another Wigdor LLP lawyer said: "San Francisco Uber executives' decisions to cut costs at the expense of customer safety forced our client to pay the ultimate cost in New Delhi."

"Her brutal rape by an Uber driver who was a known repeat sexual predator was a result of a global Uber policy that has far-reaching consequences," she said.

"We intend to hold Uber accountable for violence that could easily have been avoided had even a minimal background check been conducted."

An Uber spokesperson said: "Our deepest sympathies remain with the victim of this horrific crime. We are cooperating fully with the authorities to ensure the perpetrator is brought to justice."

A rape and kidnapping trial against the driver is currently ongoing in Delhi. In India, Uber has been represented by Khaitan & Co and PLR Chambers.

Uber has recently announced that it would not charge its 20 per cent commission from Delhi drivers anymore due to a dispute with the local transport authorities, mirroring the model of government-owned autorickshaw app Pooch-O, as well as introduce further safety measures. However, the transport department has continued refusing it a licence to operate in the city.

With IANS inputs