Uber Driver 'Brutally' Headbutts and Punches Passenger in Row Over Traveling with His Service Dog By Michael Nied

Uber is at the center of a lawsuit after a passenger was allegedly assaulted by one of the company’s drivers after his request to bring his service dog on a ride was denied.

The lawsuit was filed on Monday, Aug. 18, in Charleston County, S.C., by TC BioPharm CEO Bryan Kobel, 45, according to reports by FOX News and local newspaper Post and Currier.

The lawsuit alleges that Uber hired Russian national Vadim Nikolaevich Uliumdzhiev, with him using a fake driver’s license to secure the role.

The suit goes on to accuse Uliumdzhiev of brutally assaulting Kobel during an April 24 altercation after the CEO was allegedly denied a ride when he asked to travel with his service dog. Per reporting in Post and Currier, Uliumdzhiev has already been charged with second-degree assault and battery, and is currently being held in a processing facility for the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Georgia.

The driver later told the Charleston Police Department that he was allergic to dogs, which is why he had denied Kobel’s request to travel with his dog, according to Post and Currier.

Kobel reportedly told Uliumdzhiev that his dog was a registered service animal and asked Uliumdzhiev to cancel the ride, per FOX.

Uliumdzhiev is then accused of grabbing Kobel by the throat, headbutting him, and punching him in the jaw. Kobel fell to the ground, hitting his head in the process. The alleged incident was captured on camera via a surveillance camera from a business on the street.

The CEO was reportedly rendered unconscious by the attack and suffered a “severe concussion,” according to FOX.

“The next thing I know, I’m waking up in a hospital bed with seven staples in my head and four stitches,” he told the New York Post in an interview. “It’s been a brutal experience.”

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He told the Post that it took “about 60 days” to “have some semblance of a normal life” due to the injuries he sustained.

“I had to bring our employees into a Zoom call and inform them of what had happened,” he said, adding, “I couldn’t look at screens. I couldn’t really focus my eyes.”

Kobel also said that he suffered “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,” he added to the outlet.

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Kobel is being represented by the Law Office of Kenneth E. Berger in the lawsuit.

“Riders rely on Uber to know who is behind the wheel,” Kenneth Berger, counsel for Kobel, told PEOPLE in a written statement. “We’re seeking answers and accountability for how an undocumented individual using a fraudulent ID was able to access Uber’s platform, assault a passenger and flee.”

He continued, saying, “Publicly traded companies that profit from public trust must have screening and real-time identity systems that actually protect people.”

Regarding the alleged fake driver’s license, Berger asked, “If it took our office, a law office, less than 10 minutes to figure this out, how could a multinational corporation with billions of dollars and assets not take the time to do the same?” 

In a press release from the law office, Berger listed the damages that Kobel suffered, including “lost enjoyment of life, physical pain and suffering, mental anguish, and medical expenses.”

“Rideshare businesses like Uber are built on an inherent level of trust in the brand and the belief these billion-dollar companies have taken the appropriate steps to protect riders through verification of drivers’ backgrounds and qualifications, and this is clearly failing. This case is ultimately about accountability and safer rides for everyone using rideshare services,” Kobel said in a statement included in the press release.

In the lawsuit, it was alleged that Uliumdzhiev “posed an unreasonable risk of harm,” per the Post. Uber was also accused of failing “to implement and enforce reasonable safety policy.”

Before being hired by Uber, drivers go through a multi-step screening process, per the company. This entails a background check and confirmation that they possess a valid driver’s license.

“There is no place for violence on the Uber platform. While we can’t comment on pending litigation, Uber is deeply committed to safety and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations around worker eligibility,” a spokesperson for Uber told PEOPLE regarding the incident.

PEOPLE reached out to the Charleston Police Department and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for comment on the case, but did not immediately receive a response.