A PYMNTS Company

US: Non-compete class action looms over Apple, Google

By  |  October 27, 2013

A lawsuit accusing companies, including Apple and Google, has just been granted class action status by a federal judge, meaning the tech giants will need to face accusations that the companies made anticompetitive agreements not to hire each others employees.

    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.

    Reports say the class action, made up of more than 64,000 employees, are accusing the companies – Google, Apple, Intel and Adobe Systems – of colluding to not hire each others’ employees and subsequently keeping those workers’ wages down.

    US District Judge Lucy Koh granted the case class action status last Thursday, following an April rejection of the status. A hearing held last August found the group’s case to be “much stronger” than when they had originally applied for class action certification.

    Three additional companies named in the original suit have offered settlements; Intuit offered $11 million, while Walt Disney’s Pixar and Lucasfilm have offered $9 million.

    The employees are professional programmers, animators, Web developers and other technological specialty groups.

    Full content: Bloomberg

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