In 2014, when an Uber passenger in India accused her driver of rape, she thought her case would be handled and finished in court. However, Uber executive Eric Alexander decided that this was not a simple case. He managed to obtain the medical records of the woman and tried to prove that the rape was a set-up operation led by Uber's local rival, Ola. Alexander then shared this information with Travis Kalanick and SVP Emil Michael who concurred with his supposition. However, the courts in India ruled against Uber, since the driver was already involved in at least four other rape cases and was facing charges for them. Uber settled with the victim out of court.
What makes this case stand out is the blatant disregard of laws that Uber would break to utilize any purpose or intent they were on at the time. Obtaining confidential medical information illegally is a crime in every country around the world. This case stood out with the other scandals that Uber faced when Alexander was accused of sexual harassment by a former Uber engineer and ultimately led to Alexander's dismissal from Uber and Kalanick standing down from the CEO position he held.
Uber's new CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi now faces an uphill challenge dealing with the corrupt corporate culture that his predecessor thrived on. It seems that Kalanick got giddy on power and influence and through the billions he controlled put him above the law. Supported by corrupt executives, Kalanick's actions have led Uber to over five federal investigations, a major industrial espionage, and trade secret theft case with Waymo as well as hundreds of cases emerging every day all over the US and the world. The most recent being the 57 million names hacked back in 2015 and kept secret from law enforcement as well as the public, which is a federal offense. A number of States have already started legal proceedings against Uber.