SAN JOSE (KRON/AP) – A federal judge has approved a $415 million settlement to resolve a class-action lawsuit alleging Silicon Valley giants including Apple and Google illegally conspired to prevent their workers from getting better job offers.
Under the settlement, more than 64,000 technology workers will each receive about $5,800.
The approval granted Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh ends a lengthy legal saga that cast late Apple CEO Steve Jobs in an unflattering light. Koh had rejected a $324.5 million settlement of the case reached last year as inadequate.
The settlement will be paid by Apple, Google, Intel and Adobe Systems. The tech companies were accused of forming a secret cartel that agreed not to recruit each other’s workers. Intuit, Pixar and Lucasflim paid $20 million last year in a settlement over the same allegations.