Apple, Google, Adobe, and Intel have appealed Judge Lucy Koh’s rejection of a proposed $324.5 million settlement for a class action suit against the companies that was brought by Silicon Valley employees.
Defendants in the ongoing Silicon Valley anti-poaching case, including Apple, requested the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to step in regarding California District Court Judge Koh’s recent decision to refuse a settlement offer worth $324.5 million, reports Reuters.
The filing says Judge Koh “committed clear legal error” and “impermissibly substituted the court’s assessment of the value of the case for that of the parties who have been litigating the case for more than three years.”
The judge rejected the proposed settlement back in August, saying the amount was too low. The judge commented that the defendants should “pay their fair share” for suppressing wages via alleged non-compete agreements between the firms.
Part of Judge Koh’s decision to deny was based on an earlier agreement that involved Disney and Intuit. That settlement saw damages awarded to employees at a proportionally higher rate than that of the settlement proposal rejected by Koh.
Earlier this week, Apple, Google, Adobe and Intel reopened settlement talks with the plaintiffs. All parties are scheduled to meet with Judge Koh at a September 10th hearing.
