A biotechnology company CEO has initiated a lawsuit against Uber after an unlawful immigrant driver was filmed violently attacking him in downtown Charleston, South Carolina, causing his pet to fall to the ground.
The legal action, submitted on Monday in Charleston County, claims that Bryan Kobel, the CEO of TC BioPharm, aged 45, sustained a concussion in April following an assault by Uber driver Uliumdzhiev Vadim Nikolaevich, a 42-year-old illegal Russian national, in a King Street eatery parking area.
According to records from the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office, Nikolaevich was apprehended and later released on a $10,000 bond concerning charges of second-degree assault and battery.
Subsequently, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained him in Georgia, where he was placed on an immigration hold, as stated by Kobel’s legal representatives.
An image captured the illegal immigrant Uber driver headbutting and punching a biotech CEO in downtown Charleston, South Carolina. Picture provided by The Law Offices of Kenneth Berger.
Authorities later told Kobel that Nikolaevich’s driver’s license was fake, and he was a Russian national living in the U.S. illegally.
“Passengers expect Uber to verify who is driving,” stated Kenneth Berger, the attorney for Kobel, in a communication to Fox News Digital. “We’re demanding answers and accountability regarding how an undocumented individual using a fake ID accessed Uber’s service, assaulted a customer, and fled. Companies publicly traded and benefiting from public trust should have robust screening and real-time identity verification systems to genuinely ensure safety.”
The suit alleges that, as a direct result of Nikolaevich’s conduct while working for Uber and Raiser, Kobel suffered serious injuries and losses, including lost enjoyment of life, physical pain and suffering, mental anguish, and medical expenses.
“It was about 60 days before I could really have some semblance of a normal life,” Kobel said. “I had to bring our employees into a Zoom call and inform them of what had happened. … I couldn’t look at screens, I couldn’t really focus my eyes … I had a complete loss of vocabulary. You wonder, will I ever be whole again. Am I ever going to be the person I was. It’s made me more jaded, for sure.”
Bryan Kobel is suing Uber alleging negligence in its screening and hiring practices, among other allegations. (Photo courtesy of Bryan Kobel)
Furthermore, attorneys claim the rideshare giant is negligent in screening, hiring and monitoring drivers, leading to safety risks for its riders.
“Uber let a wolf into the hen house,” Kobel said. “They allowed a man who was in a country illegally, a Russian national with a fake license, go through their background check and snake his way in, and then have what was nothing more than a violent outburst for no reason.”
DHS and ICE did not immediately respond to inquiries from Fox News Digital.
The Charleston Police Department declined Fox News Digital’s request for comment, citing pending litigation. The Charleston County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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