Judge approves $415m settlement in Apple/Google non-poaching class action

Apple has settled a long-running class action lawsuit by workers that accused the company along with Google and other tech companies of entering illegal non-poaching agreements.

Associated Press reports that a judge has given the green light to a $415 million settlement after rejecting an earlier settlement as inadequate.

Judge Lucy Koh had rejected an earlier settlement offer, saying it didn’t offer enough compensation to about 64,000 workers affected by the case. She cited evidence of a corporate conspiracy to make it difficult for tech workers to negotiate better jobs at rival companies… Koh said she was satisfied this week after the companies increased their earlier offer of $324.5 million. She invited final comments on the deal before she grants final approval at a hearing on June 9.

If the settlement gets all final approvals, it will allow Apple, Google, Intel, Adobe and others involved in the case to avoid going to trial.

Last month reports surfaced that Apple was facing another lawsuit related to poaching employees, specifically from A123 Systems. In the lawsuit, the company claimed its former engineers breached their non-compete contracts, while Apple had engaged in “unfair competition.”