Luminar founder and former chief executive Austin Russell has agreed to accept an electronic subpoena seeking information from his phone, according to a new court filing submitted Tuesday in connection with the lidar company’s ongoing bankruptcy case. Under the terms outlined in the filing, Russell has seven days to file a motion to quash the subpoena or formally object to it. If he does neither, he will have 14 days to comply with the request.
This agreement comes roughly two weeks after lawyers for Luminar alleged that Russell was actively avoiding service of the subpoena by refusing to allow process servers who attempted to reach him at the gate of his Florida mansion. Russell had previously stated that he would not surrender his phone without explicit assurances that his personal data would be adequately protected. The latest filing indicates that both sides have now agreed to follow specific procedures for handling any personal information.
Luminar filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in December, following the loss of major customer contracts with automakers such as Volvo and Mercedes-Benz, as well as mounting competitive pressure from lidar manufacturers based in China. As part of its restructuring efforts, Luminar reached an agreement last week with Quantum Computing Inc. (QCI) to sell its lidar assets for $22 million. The company is also pursuing a separate deal to sell its semiconductor business to QCI for $110 million.
In addition, Luminar has scheduled an auction for later this month to attract competing bids that could exceed QCI’s offer. Russell had previously attempted to buy Luminar in October, several months after his sudden resignation as CEO amid an ethics investigation, but before the company formally entered bankruptcy proceedings.
Representatives for Russell’s new venture, Russell AI Labs, have told TechCrunch that he remains interested in submitting a bid for Luminar’s lidar assets. However, no official offer has yet been made. Luminar has been seeking information from Russell since his departure, as it evaluates whether to pursue legal action against him.
To date, Russell has already turned over several computers to the company. However, he retained possession of his phone, citing privacy concerns. Luminar initially asserted that it was seeking access to two phones — one issued by the company and one personal device. Russell has since stated in court filings that he used only a single phone during his time at Luminar.
