![\"Uber](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/photo-uber-drivers-car-alleged-125701880.jpg\")
An Uber car used in an allegedly staged accident where Georgette Powell claimed she was injured. Obtained by NY Post<\/p>\nA Brooklyn family was allegedly part of a ring of car insurance fraudsters that staged bogus crashes to bilk Uber and Liberty Mutual out of more than $300 million, a stunning new lawsuit claims.<\/p>\n
The rideshare company, in a complaint filed in Brooklyn federal court Tuesday, accused 13 individuals and eight medical providers of colluding to defraud it and the insurance giant by ordering rides and falsely claiming injuries after having another associate purposely cause a minor accident.<\/p>\n
Mother Georgette Powell was allegedly involved in at least four of the claimed fraudulent accidents \u2014 with three of them occurring within a two-month span in 2023, the suit asserts.<\/p>\n
An Uber car used in an allegedly staged accident where Georgette Powell claimed she was injured. Obtained by NY Post<\/p>\n
\u201cI find the expression \u2018once is an accident, twice is a coincidence, and three times is a pattern\u2019 to be applicable in this situation,\u201d an independent arbitrator wrote of one of Powell\u2019s alleged crashes, finding the 2024 incident in an Uber \u201cwas a staged incident,\u201d according to the suit.<\/p>\n
Even though a photo of the vehicle taken by the driver showed only a few relatively minor scrapes, Powell claimed she was seriously injured and was paid out just about $47,000, the suit alleges.<\/p>\n
Powell\u2019s Canarsie home connects nearly all of the named defendants, with the phone number, a bank account and the single iPhone 14 used to book the rides tied to the address, which was also listed as their residence.<\/p>\n
Two of her sons, as well as her cousin and twin sister\u2019s boyfriend \u2013 all of whom shared the same Brooklyn apartment address \u2013 have all filed injury claims against Uber, the suit states.<\/p>\n
Half of the eight total staged crashes occurred within two minutes of the rides beginning, per the court documents.<\/p>\n
The accusations from the ridehare behemoth come as Gov. Kathy Hochul is fighting recalcitrant state legislators on changing the laws around car insurance liability<\/a> to make it harder for bad actors to game the system for hefty payouts.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tStart your day with all you need to know\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMorning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \u201cThe \u2018fraud tax\u2019 that burdens every New York driver has been fueled by an epidemic of staged collisions inflating local premiums,\u201d Uber spokesperson Josh Gold told The Post.<\/p>\n \u201cThe legislature needs to stop blocking Governor Hochul\u2019s common-sense reforms<\/a> that will save New Yorkers money by finally ending the rampant fraud and litigation abuse that have made New York car insurance unaffordable,\u201d the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n The issue continues to prove to be one of the thorniest issues holding up an agreement on Hochul\u2019s $263 billion state budget plan<\/a>, which she\u2019s tacking the policy issue onto to take advantage of her leverage in talks.<\/p>\n