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

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.

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

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