UPDATE: SEPT. 27, 10:25 A.M. PT: Waymo said it is seeking a maximum of $1.86B in damages on Tuesday instead of the $2.6B earlier reported from Uber lawyer Bill Carmody, the Silicon Valley Business Journal reports.
ORIGINAL STORY:
Uber could be on the hook for billions if Waymo gets its way. Uber’s lawyers revealed Wednesday that the Alphabet-owned company is seeking $2.6B in damages from one alleged trade secret theft, Reuters reports.
This would be the largest of nine instances of theft alleged by the Google sister company and could threaten the future of San Francisco-based Uber, according to the San Francisco Business Times. The lawsuit could also lead to a judge ordering Uber to stop parts of its self-driving program. In May, the case was sent to federal prosecutors to review the potential theft of trade secrets.
Waymo has claimed former engineer Anthony Levandowski took more than 14,000 confidential files before leaving the company to start self-driving company Otto, which is now owned by Uber. Levandowski has since been fired by Uber.
A trial could begin as early as October with jury selection expected to begin on Oct. 10. Waymo requested to delay the trial after it found new critical evidence. Uber alleged the stalling tactic was because Waymo does not have evidence that Uber has the confidential information.
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