Law360 Highlights RTX's $34M No-Poach Settlement Approval

Law360 recently reported on the preliminary approval of RTX Corporation's $34 million settlement to resolve claims involving anti-competitive hiring practices within its Pratt & Whitney division.  When approved, the $34 million will be added to the $26.5 million the five contractors agreed to pay last summer, resulting in a total settlement of $60.5 million.

A Connecticut federal judge approved the initial terms of the class action settlement, deeming the agreement "fair, reasonable, and adequate." The settlement seeks to compensate aerospace engineers impacted by a no-poach agreement between Pratt & Whitney and several contractors, including Agilis Engineering Inc., Belcan Engineering Group LLC, Cyient Inc., Parametric Solutions Inc., and Quest Global Services NA Inc.

The settlement covers employees of the implicated companies who worked between January 1, 2011, and January 3, 2025. A final approval hearing is scheduled for May 7, 2025, in Hartford, Connecticut.

This resolution follows allegations first raised in a 2021 civil suit and an earlier U.S. Department of Justice criminal investigation. While the criminal charges were dismissed mid-trial in 2023, the civil case persisted, ultimately resulting in the total settlement.