Seattle CEO, big-business antagonist accused of assault

Apr 21, 2022, 3:53 PM | Updated: 4:11 pm

SEATTLE (AP) — A Seattle CEO who gained national attention for raising employees’ salaries and slashing his own is facing misdemeanor assault charges stemming from allegations that he tried to forcibly kiss a woman, according to court records.

Dan Price, of credit-card processor Gravity Payments, was charged in February with fourth-degree assault with sexual motivation, fourth-degree assault and reckless driving, The Seattle Times reported.

Price, 37, has yet to be arraigned on the charges, which were filed in Seattle Municipal Court by the city attorney’s office.

Charging documents say a woman called Seattle police on Jan. 24 and said she had met Price at a restaurant in the Capitol Hill neighborhood four days earlier. She said the two had communicated on Instagram about work and that she had reached out to him about meeting to discuss “professional matters,” according to charging papers.

Instead, Seattle prosecutors say Price cornered the woman in his Tesla after a dinner meeting, tried to kiss her and grabbed her throat when she refused. Price then drove her to a parking lot and drove “doughnuts” with her in the car, prosecutors said.

Price’s defense attorney, Mark Middaugh, said in an email to the newspaper Wednesday that the allegations are “absolutely false.”

“We have already obtained evidence that contradicts key details of the police report and raises serious doubts about the complainant’s credibility. Mr. Price respects the legal process and is confident that he will be vindicated in court,” Middaugh said.

Price shot into the national spotlight in 2015 when he said he would raise employee salaries to $70,000. At that time, his 120 employees were paid an average salary of $48,000 a year.

Price cut his own salary from nearly $1 million to $70,000, cementing a name for himself in the business world as a progressive CEO fighting for higher wages and better conditions for the average worker.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP

A building is damaged and trees are down after severe storm swept through Little Rock, Ark., Friday...
Associated Press

Tornado causes widespread damage to buildings, vehicles in Little Rock

A tornado raced through Little Rock and surrounding areas Friday, splintering homes, overturning vehicles and tossing trees.
19 hours ago
FILE - Former President Donald Trump speaks with reporters while in flight on his plane after a cam...
Associated Press

Worries grow that Trump indictment could undermine public confidence in other investigations

Trump’s attempts to overturn those results amid false claims of widespread fraud are at the heart of two other ongoing investigations.
19 hours ago
(Facebook Photo/Superior Court of Arizona in Yavapai County)...
Associated Press

Arizona judge has cases reassigned following DUI arrest

The Arizona Supreme Court has ruled that all cases currently assigned to a Yavapai County Superior Court judge recently arrested on suspicion of extreme DUI will be reassigned to other judges.
5 days ago
Haitian migrant Gerson Solay, 28, carries his daughter, Bianca, as he and his family cross into Can...
Associated Press

US, Canada to end loophole that allows asylum-seekers to move between countries

President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday announced a plan to close a loophole to an immigration agreement.
8 days ago
Expert skateboarder Di'Orr Greenwood, an artist born and raised in the Navajo Nation in Arizona and...
Associated Press

Indigenous skateboard art featured on new stamps unveiled at Phoenix skate park

The Postal Service unveiled the “Art of the Skateboard" stamps at a Phoenix skate park, featuring designs from Indigenous artists.
8 days ago
(Facebook Photo/City of San Luis, Arizona)...
Associated Press

San Luis authorities receive complaints about 911 calls going across border

Authorities in San Luis say they are receiving more complaints about 911 calls mistakenly going across the border.
14 days ago

Sponsored Articles

(Desert Institute for Spine Care in Arizona Photo)...
Desert Institute for Spine Care in Arizona

5 common causes for chronic neck pain

Neck pain can debilitate one’s daily routine, yet 80% of people experience it in their lives and 20%-50% deal with it annually.
...
Quantum Fiber

How high-speed fiber internet edges out cable for everyday use

In a world where technology drives so much of our daily lives, a lack of high-speed internet can be a major issue.
(Desert Institute for Spine Care photo)...
DESERT INSTITUTE FOR SPINE CARE

Why DISC is world renowned for back and neck pain treatments

Fifty percent of Americans and 90% of people at least 50 years old have some level of degenerative disc disease.
Seattle CEO, big-business antagonist accused of assault