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The 25-year-old woman allegedly raped by an Uber driver will seek a ‘fair compensation’ from the web-based taxi firm to ensure nobody else is assaulted by a driver working for the company, her US-based lawyer on Wednesday said.
"My client's goal is to make sure that nobody else is sexually attacked by an Uber driver and that she be fairly compensated for what Uber permitted to happen," the New York lawyer for the woman, Douglas Wigdor, said in an email to PTI regarding the compensation being sought from Uber.
Asked about a media report that claimed his client would demand a ‘hefty’ payout from Uber, Wigdor stressed he had not said that he would demand a ‘hefty’ compensation.
"I never told that reporter we would demand a 'hefty' compensation... at this time we are still strategising so I don't have anything else to tell you," said Wigdor. He declined to give further details of the case.
Last week, Wigdor had strongly criticised Uber for sending an email directly to his client informing her of its re-entry into the Delhi market. He had expressed surprise over the company re-entering the market and said he was not confident that the ‘India-specific safety measures’ the firm assures of putting in place will prevent another such incident.
Wigdor had said that Uber had the ‘audacity’ to send an email directly to his client informing her of re-entering the market in Delhi, just weeks after the tragic rape and during the criminal trial of the Uber driver.
"While we have no doubt that Uber is focused on it's bottom-line, we are surprised by this development as we had made it clear to Uber that the rape victim wanted to be part of a consultation process regarding safety procedures to ensure that no other person becomes a victim at the hands of an Uber driver.
"Most unfortunately, this has not happened and we have no confidence that the touted 'India-specific safety measures' will prevent another attack," said the prominent lawyer.
In a post on Twitter, Wigdor's law firm had described as ‘so offensive’, the Uber email to his client in which the company had detailed "sobering losses for drivers and Company.
No mention of her losses. #peoplebeforeprofits."
The firm had said that Uber is flaunting laws since it was re-entering the Delhi market "without government approval. #obeythelawuber" and Uber admitting they "must do better" is an ‘understatement’.
US-based taxi booking firm Uber had recently announced resumption of services in the city but Delhi government immediately said that the company cannot operate as the ban imposed on it last month has not been revoked.
The international cab booking firm was banned by the Delhi government last month following public outrage after one of its drivers allegedly raped a 26-year old executive.
Earlier this month, the Delhi government had decided to continue with the ban on Uber and asked it to fulfill the conditions for taxi operations in the national capital before seeking revocation of punitive action.
According to the transport department, all taxi aggregators, including app-based cab service providers, will have to register themselves with the department. The government had banned Uber on December 8.