A Santa Monica woman who opposes the use of two parking lots on Broadway as Waymo recharging stations can be deposed by attorneys for the autonomous vehicle company and must produce relevant documents, a judge has ruled. In a sworn declaration, Paula Achter, who works from home, says she has had to adjust her sleeping habits and do her job from a different location in her apartment due to the noise from the Waymo vehicles passing her building. She further says that humans are not the only ones being bothered. “I used to hear birds singing in the morning from my apartment,” the 69-year-old Achter says. “I’ve noticed I don’t hear them anymore. I believe that they have nested elsewhere due to the Waymo frequency.” On Friday, Judge Bradley Phillips, who is presiding over the dueling litigation between Waymo and the city, ruled that the firm’s lawyers are entitled to Achter’s deposition and requested documents within 15 days. “The court finds that the documents and testimony sought by Waymo are potentially relevant and certainly calculated to lead to the discovery of admissible evidence,” the judge wrote. Achter “has not demonstrated that compliance with the subpoenas would impose an undue burden and she has not substantiated her assertions that the requests are invasive and unduly burdensome,” the judge further wrote. Waymo lawyers contend in their court papers that Achter “actively participated in a coordinated campaign to physically block Waymo’s autonomous vehicles from entering or exiting the Broadway Lots — a practice known as “stacking” — and thereby exacerbating the very conditions the city attributes to Waymo. “Achter embraced this role, describing herself as “stacker P” and volunteering for overnight stacker missions,” according to the Waymo lawyers’ court papers. Achter had claimed in a more recent declaration that she has already produced
Judge: Waymo Can Depose Santa Monica Woman Critical of Recharge Stations
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