A PYMNTS Company

US: Apple, Google fail to avoid hiring collusion class action trial

By  |  March 31, 2014

A federal judge on Friday reportedly rejected Apple, Google, Intel and Adobe’s request to avoid a trial in a major class action filed against the firms that alleges the companies colluded to not hire each others’ employees to keep wages down.

    Get the Full Story

    Complete the form to unlock this article and enjoy unlimited free access to all PYMNTS content — no additional logins required.

    yesSubscribe to our daily newsletter, PYMNTS Today.

    By completing this form, you agree to receive marketing communications from PYMNTS and to the sharing of your information with our sponsor, if applicable, in accordance with our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions.

    The companies sought a judgment of the lawsuit to avoid a trial as thousands of Silicon Valley employees claim the firms made non-poaching agreements in violation of antitrust law. In her rejection of the companies’ request, US District Judge Lucy Koh wrote, “that the agreements were entered into and enforced by a small group of intertwining high level executives bolsters the inference that the agreements were not independent,” suggesting possible illegal collusion between the competing companies.

    The lawsuit first began when five software engineers sued various tech companies over the allegations. Among the defendants were Pixar, Lucasfilm and Intuit, which decided to settle for millions.

    Judge Koh’s ruling follows recent reports that Google is close to reaching a settlement with the plaintiffs.

    Full Content: NDTV

    Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.