Dan Price, Gravity Payments’ CEO who has drawn national attention to company-wide wage discrepancies by raising his employees’ minimum salaries to $70,000, has been charged with two counts of fourth-degree assault and one count of reckless driving in Seattle Municipal Court. The charges stem from an alleged assault with sexual motivation.
Price is also being investigated for “felony rape of a drugged victim” charges stemming from a Palm Springs incident in April of 2021, according to a Palm Springs Police Department report. That case will be referred to the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office “in the near future,” a spokesperson for the Palm Springs Police Department tells MyNorthwest. The district attorney was not able to confirm if charges will be ultimately brought against Price, according to a spokesperson.
In this latest instance, Seattle police records say that Price had agreed to meet a woman at a downtown restaurant on January 20. Price allegedly became intoxicated at the restaurant. While the victim was hailing an Uber, Price was said to have offered to let her wait for a ride in his own vehicle.
At that time, Price reportedly made a sexual advance, at which point “she pushed him away and then he grabbed her throat,” the police report reads.
The report goes on to describe how Price drove off with the woman still in the car. They arrived at the Northgate park and ride, at which point Price began “doing donuts in the top parking lot.”
Price then allegedly “tried kissing her again … after she pushed him away the second time, he grabbed her throat again and was pulsing his hand for minutes.”
The situation de-escalated, at which point the victim was assisted by a friend off the parking lot.
Price is scheduled for a Seattle Municipal Court hearing on April 22.
In a statement to MyNorthwest, Price’s attorney Mark Middaugh denied the allegations levied in the report.
“These allegations are absolutely false,” Middaugh said. “Dan Price’s successful business leadership and advocacy for progressive causes have made him a target for all kinds of smears.”
“We have already obtained evidence that contradicts key details of the police report and raises serious doubts about the complainant’s credibility,” he added. “Mr. Price respects the legal process and is confident that he will be vindicated in court.”
Middaugh declined to comment on the rape investigation.
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