Google might have been better off with patents than trade secrets. There are financial penalties for theft of trade secrets, but once the secret is out, no injunctions. The one who stole it can use it. With patents, injunctions are available, although hard to get.

Anyway, several companies are developing automotive LIDAR units which are better than Google's rotating things. Quantergy and Velodyne claim to be close to low-cost solid state LIDARs, and ASC has good ones now at a high price point. (An ASC unit just docked the Dragon spacecraft with the ISS.) By the time this gets to court, Google's secret technology will be obsolete.

The question is whether Uber will defend Levandowski or leave him to twist slowly, slowly in the wind and go to jail.