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Accused Kalamazoo shooter's Uber lawsuit is bogus

A lawsuit filed in the name of accused Kalamazoo mass shooter Jason Dalton is bogus, Kalamazoo County authorities say.
Credit: Jessica J. Trevino/Detroit Free Press
Jason Brian Dalton 45, of Cooper Township, is seen in a video arraignment on multiple murder charges in Judge Christopher T. Haenicke's courtroom on Monday, Feb. 22, 2016 at the Kalamazoo County Courthouse.

This story originally was published March 17, 2016.

KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- A federal lawsuit filed under the name of accused Kalamazoo mass shooter Jason Dalton against Uber was not filed by Dalton, Kalamazoo County authorities said Thursday.

The hand-written lawsuit lists several grievances against Uber, but Kalamazoo County authorities are saying it was filed by someone using Dalton's name. Mailed to U.S. District Court in Detroit, the lawsuit lists a return address in Kalamazoo, but bears a March 11 postmark from Philadelphia.

Dalton told Kalamazoo County deputies he did not mail or authorize the lawsuit, authorities said.

Media outlets across the nation on Wednesday reported on the civil rights lawsuit, which requests a jury trial.

"My wife is divorcing me because of Uber,’’ the lawsuit says. "My life is ruined because of Uber.’’

His wife, Carole Dalton, filed for divorce six days after the Feb. 20 shooting rampage that left six dead and two critically wounded around the Kalamazoo area.

Dalton's failed marriage is among a litany of grievances spelled out in the two-page, hand-written complaint seeking $10 million in damages from the San Francisco-based company.

“Uber discriminates against my mental health," it claims. “I’m currently in prison because of Uber.’’

More: 911 calls from couple who witnessed Kalamazoo shooting at car dealership

Related: Kalamazoo shooting spree suspect: Uber made me 'feel like a puppet'

In a series of interviews with police in the hours after the Feb. 20 shootings, Dalton told police that the ride-sharing app took over his "mind and body" and made him carry out the rampage.

It was filed the same week that Kalamazoo authorities revealed that Dalton said the Uber app took him over 'like artificial intelligence that can tap into your body.'’

Dalton, 45, blamed the killings on the Uber app, saying his iPhone directed him where to go and when to shoot people. Dalton said he would have gotten in a shootout with police when he was arrested, but the app directed him not to.

Dalton is accused of shooting people at three locations across the Kalamazoo area the evening of Feb. 20, in between picking up passengers as an Uber driver. A Kalamazoo County sheriff's deputy arrested Dalton shortly after midnight on Feb. 21.

Dalton told police that earlier that Saturday when he opened up the Uber ride service app, a symbol, which he believed was the Eastern Star, popped up. Dalton said the symbol resembled a devil's head and "that's when all the problems started."

Uber lawsuit

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