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A federal jury in Arizona has ordered Uber to pay $8.5 million in a lawsuit brought by a passenger who said was sexually assaulted by one of the ridesharing apps drivers. The case marks the first time that Uber has been found liable for the safety of its drivers in a sexual assault case. The plaintiff, Oklahoma resident Jaylynn Dean, sued Uber in 2023. Dean alleged that an Uber driver sexually assaulted her that November during a late ride to a hotel in Tempe, Arizona. Deans legal team argued that Uber avoided extra safety measures like more extensive background checks and in-ride cameras because while those steps could protect riders from sexual assault, they might also stifle the ridesharing apps growth. The jury determined that the driver was an apparent agent of Uber, but stopped short of finding the ridesharing company liable for design defects in its app or negligence related to the incident. The jury did not order the company to pay punitive damages. In a statement to Fast Company, an Uber spokesperson highlighted that the $8.5 million was far less than the $144 million in damages sought. This verdict affirms that Uber acted responsibly and has invested meaningfully in rider safety, the spokesperson said. We will continue to put safety at the heart of everything we do. Uber plans to appeal the verdict. Internal documents revealed during the trial also showed that the apps safety algorithm flagged Deans ride as higher risk before it began, information that was not passed along to the passenger. After the assault, Dean contacted police and Uber, which removed the driver from the platform. I want to make sure it doesnt happen to other women, Dean said during witness testimony. Im doing this for other women who thought the same thing I did, that they were making the safe and smart choice but that, you know, there are risks of being assaulted. A long history of concerns Deans case may be the first time that Uber has been found liable in a case involving the sexual assault of a passenger, but the company faces more than 3,000 similar lawsuits. Her case is not determinative for future cases, but will serve as a test trial for the backlog of other sexual assault and misconduct lawsuits that the ridesharing company faces. Late last year, a San Francisco jury found that Uber was not liable in a different sexual assault case involving a driver and a female passenger. Uber insists that it has taken every measure to make its rides safer, but court records reported by The New York Times last year paint a picture of a company that stopped short of implementing some safety programs it knew would help protect riders. Our purpose/goal is not to be the police, an internal 2021 Uber brainstorming document stated. Our bar is much lower and our goal is to protect the company and set the tolerable risk level for our operations. Concerns about rider safety and sexual assault have followed Uber for years. According to the recently revealed court records, the company received one report of sexual misconduct or sexual assault in the U.S. every eight minutes between 2017 and 2022. During that period, more than 400,000 Uber rides prompted those reports an order of magnitude more than the 12,500 disclosed incidents of sexual assaults during the same time frame.
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E-Commerce
The Olympics are best known as a moment for the worlds most elite athletes to demonstrate their physical prowess on the world stage. But, for a handful of apparel brands, the Games are also one of the most coveted advertising moments of the year. This year, teams at the Milan Cortina Games will be outfitted in plenty of the usual activewear suspects, including Adidas, Nike, and Asics. Team USA will once again appear in preppy, ultra-Americana-inspired looks designed by Ralph Lauren, which has exclusively partnered with the team since 2008. The terms of this deal are unclear, but its likely an intensely expensive (and lucrative) undertaking for Ralph Lauren that would be financially inaccessible to smaller brands. The result is that Team USAs Olympic garb has looked safe at best and stale at worst for the past several years (recall the widely panned skinny jeans and blazer combo worn in 2021). But while big brands remain the most visible apparel players at the Olympics, some of this years most stand-out garments come from smaller designers. Here are three of the collaborations to look out for: Team Mongolia x Goyol Cashmere Before the Games have even begun, theres already a clear fan favorite for the best-dressed team. Team Mongolias ceremonial outfits have taken off on X, where commenters are praising the garments for their couture quality; while the uniforms official announcement post has accrued more than 100,000 likes. Mongolian athletes will be sporting garments made by the brand Goyol Cashmere, which has produced both a line of casual ski sweaters and a stunning collection of ceremonial uniforms. The sweater line pulls inspiration from Western aprs-ski aesthetics, mixed with references to the Mongolian nomadic life, including imagery of a ger (one-man tent), sheep pens, and a horse. [Photo: Goyol/Mongolian Olympic Comittee] The ceremonial uniforms are Goyols take on the Mongolian deel, which is a traditional robe-like garment. A navy color palette makes up the base of the uniforms, accented by pops of light blue, gold, and red. In an email to Fast Company, the Goyol team said that the uniforms are inspired by the Great Mongol Empire of the 13th through 15th centuries, one of the most powerful periods of our nations history. [Photo: Goyol/Team Mongolia] Traditional elements woven throughout the uniforms include a functional skirt slit for ease of movement, a raised collar to protect against the wind and cold, silk trimmings embroidered with horn motifs, and a fully closed overlapping front, which represents “warmth, unity, and protection.” [Photo: Goyol/Team Mongolia] This is Goyol’s first time outfitting the Olympic team, and, according to the designers, “It has truly been incredible to see the outpouring of positive feedback online.” They added, “Our team is deeply honored and grateful for the trust placed in us by the National Olympic Committee. We believe this marks a defining momentnot only for our country, but for Mongolias fashion industry and the recognition of our prestigious cashmere on a global stage.” Team Haiti x Stella Jean At this year’s Games, Team Haiti’s two skiers will be the only athletes to take to the slopes in fully hand-painted uniforms. The outfits were created by Italian-Haitian designer Stella Jean. They feature an eye-catching jewel-toned design, painstakingly brushed over ski pants, boots, jackets, and even a puffer skirt. In an interview with the AP, Jean said that the designwhich centers a galloping red horsewas inspired by the 2006 painting Toussaint Louverture by Haitian artist Edouard Duval-Carrié. [Photo: courtesy Stella Jean/Team Haiti] Duval-Carrié’s painting depicts Louverture, a formerly enslaved man who successfully led the Haitian independence movement against French imperialists and established the first Black republic in 1806, riding atop the red steed. Jean told the AP that her uniform designs initially included Louverture, but she was told by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that the image broke Olympic rules barring political symbolism. [Photo: courtesy Stella Jean/Team Haiti] In order to preserve her work, she painted over Louverture for the final garments. Rules are rules and must be respected, and that is what we have done, Jean told the publication. But for us, it is important that this horse, his horse, the generals horse, remains. For us, it remains the symbol of Haitis presence at the Olympics. In an Instagram caption revealing the designs, she added, “What you see is not decoration.It is visibility as a form of survival.” Team Great Britain x Tom Daley Anyone who watched the Paris 2024 Olympics will recall that the best garment from those Games was former platform diver Tom Daleys hand-knitted sweater. [Photo: Tom Daley/Team Great Britain] Over the past several years, Daley has parlayed his knitting hobby into a side gig as a kind of knitting influencer, sharing images of creations like a sweater for a greyhound and video tutorials on new patterns. At the Paris Olympics, he was seen knitting multiple different garments, including a custom blue-and-red sweater featuring an image of the Eiffel Tower. [Photo: Tom Daley/Team Great Britain] This year, Daleys work will be worn as official Olympic garments by the flagbearers for his home team of Great Britain. Daley collaborated with the British clothing brand Ben Sherman (which is also creating Great Britain’s opening and closing ceremony looks) on a series of knitwear inspired by his countrys flag. The chunky scarves, hats, and snoods have the same charming quality as Daleys poolside projects that previously captured the hearts of viewers worldwide.
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E-Commerce
Move over, figure skating and ice hockey: Theres a new Olympic sport taking to the slopes of Italy. Ski mountaineering, or skimo, is the first entirely new sport at the Winter Olympics since 2002. As its name suggests, skimo combines elements of skiing and mountaineering, requiring competitors to climb up a mountain slope before heading back down. Its a more rugged take on the winter sport genre, and it involves rougher terrain than a cross-country or alpine ski course, calls for athletes to change their own gear mid-race, and balances both technical skill and endurance. A total of 36 athletes will be competing in this years skimo events. That includes the two Americans representing Team USA, Anna Gibson and Cameron Smith, who narrowly qualified for the event back in December. Heres everything you need to know about skimo before it becomes your next Olympic obsession. Where does skimo come from? According to an article on the official Team USA website, skimo traces all the way back to prehistoric times, when humans traversed Europe’s snow-covered landscapes on foot. In the modern era, the first official record of the sport comes from 1897, when the German geologist Wilhelm Paulcke crossed Switzerlands Bernese Oberland mountain range on a pair of skis. The sport held its first world championship in 2002, enjoying the most popularity in Europe’s wintery climes. Per the article, Italy has become a hotbed for skimo, with the sports popularity booming over the past decade: In 201011, there were 33,000 participants in the country, compared with more than 94,000 today. This expansion makes skimos debut at the Milan Cortina Games especially fitting. The races are being held in the town of Bormio. How does it work? Skimo can best be broken down into two component segments: the ascent and descent. Competitors start with the ascent. During some portions of the climb, marked by green flags, they must proceed with their skis on. Special rubber membranes, called skins, are attached to the bottom of each ski to prevent backward sliding. One explainer video published by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) describes these skins as akin to a sticky carpet. When the courses flags turn yellow, athletes have to affix their skis to their backpacks and proceed on foot (this is called bootpacking). If a competitor follows these flag cues incorrectlyeven because of a gear malfunctionpoints will be deducted. Once the athletes reach the top of the slope, red flags mark their descent. Here, they remove the skins from their skis, fasten on a helmet, and shoot down a cross-country style course. Unlike many other Olympic events, a large portion of success during skimo rests on athletes ability to quickly change their own gear. The faster we switch gear, the quicker we can move through the race, the IOC video explains. What are the events? Skimo at the Olympics will involve three different events: mens sprint, womens sprint, and mixed relay. Each sprint event consists of just one ascent and descent, with races lasting less than three minutes on average. The mixed relay is a longer, more endurance-based event, comprising two ascents and two descents. Teams of one male and one female take turns navigating the course, and the first athlete to cross the finish line clinches gold for their team.
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E-Commerce
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