San Franciscans haven’t always been kind to Waymo’s growing fleet of self-driving taxis. The autonomous vehicles, which provide tens of thousands of rides each week, have been burned down, trampledand verbally reprimanded In recent months, Waymo has now fought back in court.
This month, the Silicon Valley company filed a pair of lawsuits — neither of which had been previously reported — that seek hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages from two alleged vandals. Waymo’s lawyers said in court papers that the alleged vandalism, which ruined dozens of tires and a rear end, is a significant threat to the company’s reputation. Riding in a vehicle where the steering wheel turns on its own can be scary enough. Having to worry about attackers who allegedly target rides could undermine Waymo’s ride-sharing business before it even gets past its nascent stage.
Waymo, which is owned by Google parent Alphabet, operates a ride-hailing service in San Francisco, Phoenix and Los Angeles that is comparable to Uber and Lyft, except it relies on sensors and software that monitor driving. While its cars have not contributed to any known fatal accidents, U.S. regulators continue to investigate its sometimes erratic driving. Waymo spokeswoman Sandy Karp says the company always prioritizes safety and that the lawsuits reflect that strategy. She declined to comment further for this story.
In a filing last week in San Francisco County Superior Court of California, Waymo sued a Tesla Model 3 driver who allegedly intentionally rear-ended one of its Jaguar self-driving crossovers. According to the suit, the driver, Konstantine Nikka-Sher Piterman, claimed in a post on X that “Waymo just dissed me” before asking Tesla CEO Elon Musk for a job. The other lawsuit this month, filed in the same court, targets Ronaile Burton, who allegedly slashed the tires of at least 19 Waymo vehicles. San Francisco prosecutors have filed criminal charges against her, to which she has pleaded not guilty. A hearing is scheduled for Tuesday.
Burton’s public defender, Adam Birka-White, says in a statement that Burton “is someone who needs help, not prison,” and that prosecutors continue to “prioritize punishment of poor people at the behest of corporations, in this case involving a tech company that is under federal investigation for creating dangerous conditions on our streets.”
An attorney for Burton has not been named in court records in the civil case, and Burton is currently in jail and could not be reached for comment. Piterman did not respond to a voicemail, a LinkedIn message and emails seeking comment. He has not responded in court to the allegations.
According to available court records in San Francisco and Phoenix, it appears Waymo has not previously filed similar lawsuits.
In the Tesla case, Piterman “unlawfully, maliciously and intentionally” accelerated his car through a stop sign and crashed into a Waymo car in San Francisco. March 19thaccording to the company’s lawsuit. When the Waymo attempted to pull over, Piterman allegedly drove the Tesla toward the Waymo car again. He then allegedly entered the Waymo and then threatened a Waymo representative who responded to the scene in person. San Francisco police cited Piterman, according to the lawsuit. Police did not respond to WIRED’s request for comment.
