HOUSTON, TX – The family of a 27-year-old man who was fatally shot back in 2025 during a carjacking while working as a rideshare driver for Lyft is suing the company over alleged negligence they claim contributed to the man’s death.
On February 26th, 2025, 27-year-old Philip Kim accepted a Lyft fare in Harris County that would ultimately lead to his untimely death, as he was reportedly baited through the app via a group of armed men into a violent carjacking that saw Kim fatally shot.
Unbeknownst to the slain man, and ostensibly other rideshare drivers in the area at the time, was that the specific area Kim drove to for the fare had played host to two other carjackings of rideshare drivers within the past week prior to his murder.
In a lawsuit filed earlier in April aimed at Lyft, the company had apparently been made aware of the aforementioned carjackings near where Kim was murdered, according to the family of the young man.
“These incidents happened a short distance from the same location Lyft dispatched Philip to,” the lawsuit reads in part.
“Lyft was on notice that at least two incidents of physical assaults and carjackings were reported in the immediate vicinity in the recent past from the date of the incident. Despite the knowledge of this risk, Lyft dispatched Philip to the location where he was subsequently robbed at gunpoint, shot, and murdered.”
A suspect, 18-year-old Anthony Perkins, was charged with Kim’s murder as well as allegedly playing a role in the two other carjacking incidents cited in the lawsuit. Perkins is also named in the suit where damages are being sought, although the defendant has yet to be convicted of the alleged carjackings and Kim’s murder.
Per the filed suit, the family of the deceased claims Lyft acted with gross negligence by dispatching Kim “to this location without sharing any knowledge it had relating to the prior violent carjackings targeting rideshare drivers.”
Aside from the $1 million in damages sought in the suit, the filed complaint also seeks changes in how Lyft promotes safety for its drivers.
“Lyft could make a few simple changes to the Lyft App to greatly improve safety for Lyft drivers. Unfortunately, Lyft has opted not to do so. As a result, Lyft drivers are vulnerable to acts of violence by Lyft riders.”
Kherker Garcia, LLP, the law firm representing Kim’s family, emphasized in a statement regarding the suit that what happened to their client’s loved one was a “preventable tragedy.”
“Philip Kim's parents are living every family's worst nightmare, a young man with a bright future taken in an act of unimaginable violence. But this case is not just about one horrific crime; it is about a preventable tragedy,” attorney Sadi Antonmattei-Goitia stated.
On February 26th, 2025, 27-year-old Philip Kim accepted a Lyft fare in Harris County that would ultimately lead to his untimely death, as he was reportedly baited through the app via a group of armed men into a violent carjacking that saw Kim fatally shot.
Unbeknownst to the slain man, and ostensibly other rideshare drivers in the area at the time, was that the specific area Kim drove to for the fare had played host to two other carjackings of rideshare drivers within the past week prior to his murder.
In a lawsuit filed earlier in April aimed at Lyft, the company had apparently been made aware of the aforementioned carjackings near where Kim was murdered, according to the family of the young man.
“These incidents happened a short distance from the same location Lyft dispatched Philip to,” the lawsuit reads in part.
“Lyft was on notice that at least two incidents of physical assaults and carjackings were reported in the immediate vicinity in the recent past from the date of the incident. Despite the knowledge of this risk, Lyft dispatched Philip to the location where he was subsequently robbed at gunpoint, shot, and murdered.”
A suspect, 18-year-old Anthony Perkins, was charged with Kim’s murder as well as allegedly playing a role in the two other carjacking incidents cited in the lawsuit. Perkins is also named in the suit where damages are being sought, although the defendant has yet to be convicted of the alleged carjackings and Kim’s murder.
Per the filed suit, the family of the deceased claims Lyft acted with gross negligence by dispatching Kim “to this location without sharing any knowledge it had relating to the prior violent carjackings targeting rideshare drivers.”
Aside from the $1 million in damages sought in the suit, the filed complaint also seeks changes in how Lyft promotes safety for its drivers.
“Lyft could make a few simple changes to the Lyft App to greatly improve safety for Lyft drivers. Unfortunately, Lyft has opted not to do so. As a result, Lyft drivers are vulnerable to acts of violence by Lyft riders.”
Kherker Garcia, LLP, the law firm representing Kim’s family, emphasized in a statement regarding the suit that what happened to their client’s loved one was a “preventable tragedy.”
“Philip Kim's parents are living every family's worst nightmare, a young man with a bright future taken in an act of unimaginable violence. But this case is not just about one horrific crime; it is about a preventable tragedy,” attorney Sadi Antonmattei-Goitia stated.
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