Amazon settles with ex-AWS managers in kickback lawsuit, GeekWire reports

Amazon has settled its lawsuit against two former Amazon Web Services real estate managers it accused of taking kickbacks on data centre deals, GeekWire reported . Amazon told the court on 20 October, less than two weeks before trial.

The two men, Carl Nelson and Casey Kirschner, admitted breaking Amazon’s code of conduct in a joint statement, according to GeekWire. However, the statement does not call the payments kickbacks or say they were illegal. The other terms, including whether any money was paid, are confidential.

“They regret their actions, apologize for failing to meet Amazon’s high ethical standards,” the statement said, as quoted by GeekWire.

A Colorado lawyer, Rodney Atherton, who set up companies for the two men, also settled. TNW has not seen the settlement filing.

Amazon sued in 2020. It claimed the managers took kickbacks on Northern Virginia property deals in return for steering work to developers. Nelson was investigated by the FBI but never charged.

In 2023, a federal judge threw out most of the claims . But in September 2025, a federal appeals court revived several of them, including racketeering and fraud, and sent the case back for trial.

The case continues against Brian Watson and his Denver firm, Northstar Commercial Partners. Amazon says Northstar won nine data centre projects between 2018 and 2020 by paying kickbacks, which Watson denies.

Their trial is due to start on 2 November in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia. Watson and Northstar have asked the judge to make Amazon hand over the settlement agreement.