Judge rejects $324.5M settlement over Apple, Google hiring

Four Silicon Valley companies including Apple and Google failed to persuade a U.S. judge to sign off on a $324.5 million settlement to resolve a lawsuit by tech workers, who accused the firms of conspiring to avoid poaching each other's employees.

U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose, Calif., said the settlement was too low, given the strength of the case against the companies, which also include Intel and Adobe, according to Reuters.

In their 2011 lawsuit, the tech employees said the conspiracy had limited their job mobility and, as a result, kept a lid on salaries.

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