A federal judge has approved a USD 415 million settlement to resolve a class-action lawsuit alleging Apple, Google, Intel and two other Silicon Valley companies illegally conspired to prevent them from getting better job offers.
The settlement will pay more than 64,000 technology workers about USD 5,800 apiece.
The approval granted Wednesday by US District Judge Lucy Koh ends a lengthy legal saga that exposed internal emails that cast former Apple CEO Steve Jobs in an unflattering light. Koh had rejected an earlier USD 324.5 million settlement of the case reached last year as inadequate.
The lawsuit accused Apple, Google, Intel and Adobe Systems of forming a secret cartel that agreed not to recruit each other’s workers. Lawyers for the employees argued the pact illegally suppressed the wages of the affected technology workers. (AP) SUA 09040058
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