Apple and Other Companies Await Judge’s Approval of $415 Million Settlement

US District Judge Lucy Koh is apparently satisfied with the $415 million agreement ending the anti-poaching lawsuit involving tech companies such as Apple, Google, Adobe, and Intel, reports Reuters. Koh previously rejected a $324 million agreement as too low.

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However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that she will sign off the deal, since she didn’t issue a ruling on this matter. Instead, she scheduled another hearing date before she signs off the deal.

“We are pleased court indicated she was going to approve the settlement,” Kelly Dermody, an attorney for the workers, said after the hearing.

The anti-poaching lawsuit was first filed in 2011 and accused Apple, Google, Intel, and Adobe of conspiring not to poach each other’s employees, thus keeping tech worker salaries low and limiting job mobility.

The case was based on emails exchanged between Apple co-founder Steve Jobs and ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt, and their rivals. The companies first approached the plaintiffs with a $324 million agreement in August 2014, but Koh found the amount too low, as one of the plaintiffs objected. Now, the same worker supports the new agreement.

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