Judge dismisses defunct startup Sidecar's 2018 lawsuit against Uber

(Reuters) - Uber Technologies Inc <UBER.N> on Tuesday prevailed in a lawsuit accusing it of driving a smaller rival out of business through predatory pricing and other anticompetitive practices.

A federal judge in San Francisco dismissed a 2018 lawsuit brought against Uber by defunct startup Sidecar Technologies Inc, which pioneered on-demand ride-hailing.

The judge gave Sidecar an opportunity to replead its claims brought under the Sherman Antitrust Act, saying "if Sidecar believes that it can cure the defects in its Sherman Act claims, it may file a second amended complaint no later than Feb. 4, 2020."

The lawsuit claimed "Uber became hell-bent on stifling competition from competing ride-hailing apps," and used subsidies and made fake ride requests to competitors in a bid to dominate the market.

Sidecar went out of business in December 2015 and sold its assets to General Motors Co <GM.N> in 2016.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru; editing by Uttaresh.V)