US: Judge orders Uber to hand over acquisition report of Levandowski startup

Uber has lost two key battles in its trade-secret litigation with Waymo, Google’s self-driving car spinoff.

First, a magistrate judge has ruled that Uber must hand over the due diligence report related to its $680 million acquisition of self-driving car startup Otto. Uber had been trying to keep that report secret by claiming attorney-client privilege.

US District Judge William Alsup also shot down a motion by Uber to put the litigation on hold while the company appeals Alsup’s decision that the case can’t be moved into arbitration.

Waymo has “a right to get to trial on October 2, and you’re doing everything you can to throw roadblocks in their way,” Alsup told Uber lawyers, according to reports on the hearing in The Recorder.

Alsup also refused to modify his order that pushed Uber to fire Anthony Levandowski, who headed up it’s self-driving car project. Levandowski’s lawyers argued in court that the order went too far in commanding Uber to do everything in its power to coerce the company’s employee.

“I’m not taking back a single word” of the order, Alsup responded.

Full Content: The Recorder

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