A San Francisco judge affirmed that Anthony Levandowski, the executive at the center of a 2017 lawsuit between Waymo and Uber over alleged trade secret theft, would have to pay the $179 million arbitration settlement over his departure from the Alphabet company, per Reuters.
Flashback: Waymo, which is owned by Alphabet, sued Uber three years ago, alleging Levandowski and the company conspired to steal its autonomous driving technology. After a year-long legal battle and a week of trial, the companies settled. Since then, Uber has admitted that a review of its tech concluded it would have to make significant changes or pay Waymo a licensing fee.
The intrigue: Lior Ron, who with Levandowski co-founded the company Uber acquired, settled with Waymo for $9.7 million last month, which Uber has paid on his behalf as an indemnified employee, according to Reuters.
- However, Uber has said it will challenge paying for Levandowski's settlement.
- Levandowski was also indicted by a federal grand jury in August on charges of theft of trade secrets.
Update: Following the judgment, Levandowski filed for bankruptcy, stating the settlement and other liabilities are larger than his total assets. From his lawyer, Neel Chatterjee:
Editor's note: The story has been updated to note that Levandowski subsequently filed for bankruptcy.
