Waymo wants to postpone the self-driving car technology trial with Uber

In light of the recent federal circuit ruling that Uber must hand over the due diligence report (the Stroz report) it conducted ahead of its acquisition of Otto, Waymo is requesting Judge William Alsup postpone the trial. The trial is currently scheduled to begin October 11.

“It’s now clear why Uber had fought so hard to hide these materials from Waymo and the Court,” a Waymo spokesperson told TechCrunch. “In addition to the Stroz Report, thousands of new documents and hundreds of previously unexamined devices are now being turned over to Waymo, adding to the direct evidence we’ve already found of trade secret misappropriation. They go to the heart of our case and in order to accommodate new depositions, expert reports and briefings, we’ve asked for additional time before trial.”

Last week, a federal circuit appeals judge ruled that Uber must hand over the due diligence report it commissioned ahead of its acquisition of self-driving truck startup Otto. For months, Waymo has argued this report, conducted by legal firm Stroz Friedberg, likely contains information pertinent to its allegations that one of its former engineers, Anthony Levandowski, stole thousands of files and brought them to Uber.

Now that Waymo is getting these documents, the company says it needs way more time to review them. As a result of the ruling, Uber and Stroz are producing thousands of new documents and hundreds of devices that were previously unavailable to Waymo.

Judge Alsup has set a private hearing to discuss the recent developments in the case tomorrow. On October 3, Alsup will host a hearing to discuss motions to continue the trial.

Uber declined to comment for this story.

Featured Image: Bryce Durbin/TechCrunch