Uber settles bellwether case on eve of trial in sexual assault MDL

Uber Technologies Inc. settled with a Texas woman whose case was set as the third bellwether trial in the federal multidistrict litigation over alleged sexual assaults by drivers using its platform. Law360 reported that the settlement came "just ahead of opening statements," according to her attorneys. The first two bellwether trials produced an $8.5 million plaintiff verdict and a $5,000 jury award. Terms of the Texas settlement were not disclosed.

Why it matters. A pre-trial settlement in the third bellwether removes another test case from the jury pool in an MDL with roughly 4,000 pending claims, a development plaintiff firms track when valuing remaining cases.