private civil claims against Raytheon's Pratt & Whitney division, a leading manufacturer of civil and military airline engines, and the other defendants named as outsource suppliers for skilled aerospace labor.
In her 32-page ruling, Nagala said the plaintiffs' complaint "adequately alleges that the no-poach agreements at issue had no legitimate business purpose." But "whether plaintiffs will eventually be able to produce evidence to substantiate this claim at summary judgment or trial is a question for another day," Nagala wrote.
An attorney for the prospective class, represented by law firms Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan and DiCello Levitt, declined to comment. NagalaThe private lawsuits followed the U.S. Justice Department's announcement in late 2021 of labor-relatedThe criminal case is moving forward, after another judge in Connecticut federal court in December declined to dismiss the prosecution. The defendants there have pleaded not guilty.
Pratt & Whitney's attorneys also said in the court filing that they reject "the DOJ's position that the conduct at issue should be the subject of criminal prosecution."