CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Tribune News Service) — The parents of two girls are suing Uber, saying the ride-share company allowed their 12- and 13-year-old daughters to be trafficked from South Carolina to a man’s North Carolina home, where one girl was raped.

The lawsuit says Uber is aware of an “abhorrent problem” with its platform — that it’s a popular “form of transportation to traffic victims sexually, primarily minor girls, across the United States.”

In 2023, the North Carolina man, an accused sex trafficker, started grooming the 12-year-old girl over Facebook and later ordered an Uber to have her and her friend “delivered” to his home, according to a complaint filed July 24 in York County, South Carolina.

Fayvion Jarrod Williams — who was convicted of statutory rape of a minor and sexual exploitation of a minor on July 2 — sent the Uber to pick up the girls down the street from one of their mother’s homes in late November, the complaint says.

Information regarding Williams’ legal representation wasn’t immediately available.

The Uber driver didn’t ask the girls about their ages “even though they were noticeably underage,” according to the complaint.

Out of fear, the 13-year-old girl told the driver “they were younger than their actual ages in an attempt to get him to cancel the ride and refuse to drive them,” the complaint says.

However, he continued the ride and headed to Williams’ home in North Carolina, according to the complaint.

After the girls were dropped off, Williams took them into his backyard and encouraged them to smoke a marijuana cigarette, the lawsuit says. Then he walked them inside his home, where they saw an older man inside playing video games, the complaint says.

When Williams propositioned the girls to perform sex acts, the 13-year-old girl refused, according to the complaint.

He ordered the other girl, who was scared Williams might hurt her as she knew he likely had a gun, to his room where he violently raped her and filmed the assault, the complaint says.

“This is a horrific and tragic situation that has upended the lives of these families, all made possible by Uber because of their negligence and their steadfast prioritization of profits over safety,” Clarkson Law Firm attorney Tracey B. Cowan, who is representing the case, said in a news release.

“Uber is actively participating in and profiting from the trafficking of minors and doesn’t care who it hurts along the way,” Cowan said.

The girl’s parents are suing Uber on multiple claims, including negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress and trafficking, the lawsuit shows.

An Uber spokesperson told McClatchy News on July 26 that “the details of this incident are horrific.”

“We take our role helping to combat human trafficking seriously and have spent years investing in prevention efforts, including providing every driver with educational resources on how to identify the signs of human trafficking and report suspected cases,” the spokesperson said.

The second Uber ride

Following the rape, Williams ordered another Uber ride to drive the girls back to South Carolina, according to the complaint.

The Uber driver who responded to Williams’ request for a ride allowed the girls to get in the car and didn’t ask for their ages, the complaint says.

The driver remained silent during the “hour-long drive across state lines,” according to the complaint.

During the ride, the 12-year-old told her friend she had been raped, the complaint says.

The Uber driver dropped the girl’s off at a park near one of their mother’s homes — a location Williams had chosen — “despite the fact that there were no parents waiting for (them),” according to the complaint.

The 13-year-old’s mother had been searching for the girls and emerged from a parked car at the park as they exited the Uber, the complaint says.

The mother rushed over to the driver, asking where they came from, according to the complaint.

“All Uber Driver #2 said was something along the lines of, ‘Some guy named Fayvion paid for (the ride),’” the complaint says.

A day later, Williams messaged the 13-year-old on Facebook and shared a video of himself raping her friend, according to the complaint.

The rape was ultimately reported to authorities in South Carolina and North Carolina, where Williams was arrested, the complaint says.

Williams is detained at Piedmont Correctional Institution in Salisbury, North Carolina, about a 45-mile drive northeast from Charlotte, according to the state Department of Corrections. He was transferred to the prison on July 17 from Gaston County, records show.

‘No action has been taken’

With their lawsuit, the girl’s parents are hoping for change from Uber.

The lawsuit accuses Uber of not implementing safety measures, including enhanced background checks and mandatory dashboard cameras.

The company told McClatchy News that Uber’s “Global Investigations team works hand in hand with law enforcement to help bring suspected traffickers to justice.”

Uber advises its drivers to cancel rides with unaccompanied minors who don’t have a teen account with the platform, according to the company.

The company also offers drivers tips on preventing underage riding online and how to report a canceled ride due to unaccompanied minors.

However, Sara Beller, a Clarkson Law Firm associate, said in statement that Uber “has continuously ignored their drivers picking up unaccompanied minors” and “no action has been taken.”

The girl’s parents are seeking an unspecified amount in damages and are demanding a jury trial.

If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, please call 911.

To report potential trafficking situations, you can contact the national hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or chat with the online hotline.

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