Apple, Google, Adobe, and Intel lost their fight to kill what could become a huge class action lawsuit over their employee anti-poaching agreement. The companies have been accused of agreeing to not hire away each other's employees between 2005 and 2009, which workers claim led to lower pay.
Employee anti-poaching lawsuit against Apple, others, gets to move forward
After Federal Judge Lucy Koh granted class action status to employee's lawsuit in October 2013, Apple and the other companies named in the case turned to the Appeals Court in hopes of overturning her ruling. With the Appeals Court backing up Judge Koh, the plaintiffs are free to move forward with their case.
The civil case was filed in 2011 after the companies agreed to a settlement with the Department of Justice where they all agreed to drop their anti-poaching agreement.
With the case set to move forward, Kelly Dermody from Lieff, Cabraser, Heimann & Bernstein, the firm representing the plaintiffs, said, We look forward to seeking justice for the class at trial," according to Reuters.
The trial is scheduled to start on May 27, 2014, assuming the parties don't agree to a pre-trial settlement.
None of the companies named in the lawsuit have commented on the Appeals Court ruling.