US: Sony agrees to cooperate in anti-poaching suit against Disney

To settle its own potential liability, Sony will also be contributing $13 million to plaintiffs.

To settle claims that it struck a secret deal with other studios not to suppress wages and work opportunities in the animation industry, Sony Pictures has agreed to pay out $13 million. Perhaps more intriguingly, Sony is promising to help out plaintiffs who continue to pursue Disney in an ongoing putative class action.

The lawsuit emanates from a pact that George Lucas reached with Steve Jobs in the 1980s. At the time, the two agreed to restrain competition for skilled labor at both Pixar and Lucasfilm. Over time, more companies are said to have jointed into a “gentleman’s agreement” not to cold call each other’s employees, provide notifications when providing job offers, and make no counteroffers. In 2010, after an antitrust investigation, the Justice Department reached a settlementwith Apple, Google, Intel, Adobe and Pixar that forbade the anti-poaching pacts. Then, civil lawsuits began. The tech companies made a $415 million settlement with former employees while Pixar and Lucasfilm arrived at a $9 million deal.

In Sept. 2014, more lawsuits came against Disney’s Pixar and Lucasfilm units, Sony Pictures, Blue Sky Studios and others. The actions were eventually consolidated, and US District Court judge Lucy Koh ruled against a motion to dismiss.

Full Content: Hollywood Reporter

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