WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department said Thursday that it has settled a lawsuit against eBay that accused the company of anticompetitive practices in the recruitment and hiring of skilled employees.

The settlement resolves a 2012 lawsuit centered on eBay’s agreement with the Intuit software company that prevented each firm from recruiting the other’s employees. That deal, entered into by top-level executives at both companies, was designed to limit competition between the two firms for highly specialized technology employees and denied workers the chance for better, higher-paying job opportunities, the government said.