Elite Staffing agreed to pay $1.5 million to end a no-poach lawsuit brought by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, according to an announcement by Raoul’s office on Aug. 1. 

The attorney general’s office had filed suit in 2020 against three staffing firms and staffing buyer Colony Display. The staffing firms had formed a no-poach agreement to not hire one another’s employees and fix the wages paid to workers, according to the office. Colony allegedly facilitated the agreements by acting as an intermediary. Raoul’s office had reached a settlement with Colony in 2023. 

The money will go toward compensating temporary workers. 

“Illinois workers are harmed when employers collude to keep wages down,” Raoul said in a press release. “I am pleased that this settlement includes compensation for workers who were impacted by unlawful activity that limited wages and job opportunities.” 

Elite Staffing has been contacted for comment. 

Under the terms of its settlement agreement, Elite will implement compliance measures and is prohibited from conduct that will violate antitrust laws as well as paying the $1.5 million. 

A separate lawsuit was also filed by Raoul’s office against another group of staffing firms and their client, Vee Pak, which remains pending.