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| A portrait of Apple co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs is placed on the Federation Tower skyscraper in Moscow's new downtown, October 19 2011. |
(Reuters) - Four massive technology corporations shouldn't be allowed to limit evidence regarding Apple INC co-founder Steve Jobs at an forthcoming trial over no-hire agreements in Silicon Valley, consistent with a court document filed late on Thursday by workers suing the companies.
Tech staff brought a category action proceedings against Apple, Google Inc, Intel INC and Adobe Systems INC in 2011, alleging they conspired to avoid competitive for every other's staff so as to avert a pay war. Trial is scheduled to start at the top of could on behalf of roughly 64,000 employees within the category, and plaintiffs say damages may high $3 billion.
The case, that is closely watched in Silicon Valley, is basically designed on emails among high executives, as well as Apple's late chief govt Jobs and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt.
In one instance, once a Google recruiter invited an Apple employee, Schmidt told Jobs that the recruiter would be dismissed, court documents show. Jobs then forwarded Schmidt's note to a high Apple human resources govt with a smiley face appended.
Earlier in the week, the four corporations asked U.S. District judge Lucy Koh to stop plaintiffs from unfairly depicting Jobs as a "bully" at trial. the companies aforementioned they failed to request to bar Jobs' communications concerning the no-hire agreements, however rather proof gleaned from sources like Walter Isaacson's bestselling biography about Jobs.
However, within the filing on Thursday, the workers aforementioned such material had been employed in separate antimonopoly legal proceeding involving Apple over e-books.
"That the jury would possibly draw conclusions about Mr. Jobs' character supported evidence showing the way within which he pursued the conspiracy at the heart of this case isn't grounds to exclude such evidence," they wrote.
A Google spokesperson declined to comment. Representatives for Apple, Intel and Adobe couldn't directly be reached for comment, nor might an lawyer for the plaintiffs.
The four corporations united to settle a U.S. Department of Justice probe in 2010 that barred them from moving into such no-hire agreements within the future. they need since been fighting the civil antimonopoly class-action suit, disputation that the plaintiffs cannot with success prove an overarching conspiracy to impact wages.
In addition to proof about Jobs' character, the tech corporations also asked Koh to ban discussion of the govt probe at trial. However, on Thursday the plaintiffs argued that the jury ought to understand the reason the companies eliminated their no-hire agreements.
Additionally, the plaintiffs request to introduce evidence about the private wealth of executives like Google co-founder Sergey Brin - and the way it might be increased by holding down workers' salaries and boosting margins, in step with the filing.
At a hearing last month, attorneys for Google and therefore the plaintiffs aforementioned they were "making progress" in settlement talks.
Walt Disney Co's Pixar and Lucasfilm units and intuit INC were also defendants within the original lawsuit however united to a settlement, with Disney paying regarding $9 million and intuit paying $11 million. A hearing on final settlement approval is scheduled for First of May.
The case in U.S. District Court, Northern District of California is In Re: high-tech worker antitrust litigation, 11-cv-2509.
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