India: Rape victim hires New York lawyer to sue Uber in US

A 25-year-old woman, who was allegedly raped by an Uber cab driver on 5 December, 2014 in New Delhi has hired a high-profile New York lawyer to sue the San Francisco-based taxi mobile app company.

According to the Guardian, the victim has hired Douglas Wigdor, who previously represented the hotel maid who accused former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn of rape in 2012.

"I can confirm that I have been retained by the young lady who was raped by an Uber driver in Delhi, India, last December. Having met extensively with her and her family while in Delhi, I can only compliment them for their bravery and fortitude during this very difficult time. We will use all of our resources to vindicate my client's rights, hold those responsible for their actions and ensure that this doesn't happen again," the Guardian quoted Wigdor as saying.

The victim, on 1 January, had identified the driver as 32-year-old Shiv Kumar Yadav, who had allegedly raped her when she was returning home on the night of 5 December (last year) in his taxi.

After having dinner out with friends, she hailed a taxi on Uber's app, but instead of taking his passenger to her destination, the driver drove her to an isolated place and allegedly raped her.

Since then, the company's services have been banned in the Indian capital and the ensuing outrage has affected its business in numerous cities and countries.

Uber has promised safer trips for passengers, "going above the required government verification", while performing background checks in India.

Uber said in statement: "We are engaging local and global experts to evaluate the most effective background screening solution across India; pilot programs are already running in select cities, including Delhi."

The company is considering a significant change to its business model in New Delhi to overcome the ban on its car-hailing services imposed after the 5 December incident.