The Uber driver accused in the Kalamazoo shooting is now suing company for $10 million

Thomson Reuters

The Uber driver accused of killing six people during a shooting rampage in Kalamazoo, Michigan, has now filed suit against the ride-hailing company and is asking for $10 million in damages.

Hand-written and sent from his prison cell in Kalamazoo, Jason Dalton, 45, claims that he worked for years for Uber and they never paid him back wages or over-time. 

"I busted my butt for them. They gave me no Christmas bonus. I wasn't invited to any corporate parties. They made me work when I was sick and didn't let me spend time with my 2 children. Uber treats their drivers like crap," Dalton wrote in his filing. 

Dalton's complaint, which was dated March 11 and filed on March 15, was first reported by the San Francisco Business Times.

Uber told reporters in February that Dalton only became an Uber driver on January 25, 2016. In the following weeks, he had completed slightly over 100 rides and had a 4.73 rating out of 5 as driver on the platform. 

In the filing, Dalton says he seeks the $10 million in "punitive damages and emotional distress" because Uber "ruined" his life and his wife is now divorcing him.

Earlier in March, Dalton opened up in a series of reports to police that he had been involved in the shootings, but he also blamed the Uber app for them, saying the app had taken over his body. He claimed he "recognized the Uber symbol as being that of the Eastern Star" and that a "devil head" popped up on the screen. 

In a statement on Wednesday Uber said: "It's hard to know how to respond to someone who refuses to take responsibility for his own actions.  Our hearts go out to the victims' families who have to live with the consequences of his terrible crimes."

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