Apple, Google, intel, and Adobe today have offered a larger settlement in an attempt to put an end to the class action anti-poaching lawsuit filed on behalf of Silicon Valley tech workers.
Citing a source close to the negotiations, The New York Times claims the companies are offering a combined payment of $415 million to settle the case.
The suit alleges the tech firms had an illegal agreement that each would not attempt to lure another company’s employees to their company. The suit claims this limited the employee’s mobility and possibility for salary increases.
The firms involved are said to be anxious to settle, in order to avoid revealing any communications between the companies involved in the illegal agreement.
Judge Lucy Koh had earlier rejected a settlement offer of $324 million when a plaintiff objected to the amount. In her rejection, Koh said the amount of compensation “falls below the range of reasonableness,” when compared to the amount of an earlier employee settlement from Pixar, Lucasfilm, and Intuit.
While lawyers say the amount is now acceptable to the plaintiffs, Judge Koh will still need to approve the deal.
