Not long ago, a federal class-action lawsuit was filed, alleging that some of the top animation studios violated antitrust laws by conspiring to suppress wages. Now, that suit has been dismissed by a federal judge.
The claim was directed at The Walt Disney Co., DreamWorks Animation, Sony Imageworks, ImageMovers, and others.
The ruling was made April 3 by US District Judge Lucy Koh, who cited the statute of limitations in dismissing the complaint filed by former DreamWorks Senior Character Effects Artist Robert Nitsch, former ImageMovers Digital Production Engineer David Wentworth, and Digital Artist Georgia Cano, former employee at Walt Disney Feature Animation, ImageMovers, Blue Sky, Lucasfilm, Pixar, and Rhythm & Hues.
The four-year statute of limitations window ended September 8, 2010. The judge found that the plaintiffs failed to show that any new actions were taken by the studio after that date. The plaintiffs have 30 days to file an amended complaint.
The studios, meanwhile, have to respond to discovery requests pertaining to the wage-fixing claims.