Amazon가 데이터센터 계약 리베이트 혐의로 기소된 AWS 관리자들과의 법적 분쟁을 합의로 마무리했으며, 피고인 Northstar Commercial Partners에 대한 소송은 계속 진행 중이다.

Amazon has ended a six-year legal battle with two former AWS managers accused of taking kickbacks for certain data center deals.

Carl Nelson and Casey Kirschner, who were named in the 2020 lawsuit alongside Denver-based real estate firm Northstar Commercial Partners, said in a joint statement that they "regret their actions" and "apologize for failing to meet Amazon's high ethical standards."

They said that the payments broke Amazon's code of conduct and put the company's reputation at risk.

Nelson and Kirschner had been accused of engaging Northstar in nine different build-to-suit leasing projects for Amazon in Virginia worth hundreds of millions of dollars, in exchange for kickbacks delivered as "referral fees" through a trust owned by Kirschner's brother, Christian Kirschner.

According to court documents, the fees were calculated as a percentage of the fees Northstar received on its Amazon leases. During Northstar's business with Amazon, more than $5 million went to the trust.

The trust then transferred money to Christian Kirschner and other entities that funneled funds to Nelson and Casey Kirschner.

Amazon said that its costs in these transactions were inflated to fund the kickbacks, with Northstar CEO Brian Watson baking fees into project budgets and inflating Amazon's rent.

In a TikTok video, Nelson's wife, Amy Nelson, said all disputes between Nelson and Amazon had been resolved. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed.

Over the years, the case saw several rulings both for and against Amazon. In 2023, a federal judge ruled that Amazon's code of conduct was not an enforceable contract and dismissed most claims against Nelson and Kirschner.

Last year, however, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit revived several claims and sent the case back to trial.

The case against Northstar will continue, with a trial date of November 2.