Amazon told a judge on Oct. 20, 2026, that it had settled its claims against former Amazon Web Services real-estate managers Carl Nelson and Casey Kirschner, and attorney Rodney Atherton also settled. GeekWire reported the agreement on Oct. 24. Nelson and Kirschner acknowledged receiving personal payments tied to data-center deals they handled for Amazon. The separate claims against Northstar Commercial Partners and its principal, Brian Watson, remained pending in that account. The lawsuit concerns data-center contracting, not Prime enrollment or cancellation.
What the settlement covered
The settlement statement described Nelson and Kirschner as regretting their actions and failing to meet Amazon’s ethical standards. It did not characterize the payments as kickbacks or say they were illegal. The other settlement terms were confidential, including whether money changed hands.
The Northstar allegations remained disputed
Amazon alleged that Northstar secured data-center projects by paying kickbacks to Nelson and Kirschner. Watson denied the allegation. Amazon had hired Northstar for nine data-center development projects in Northern Virginia between 2018 and 2020.
GeekWire reported on Oct. 24, 2026, that Watson and Northstar were scheduled to go to trial on Nov. 2. That report also said a federal judge dismissed most of Amazon’s claims in April 2023, then the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit revived several claims, including racketeering and fraud, in September 2025 and sent the case back for trial. The appeals court’s ruling allowed claims to proceed; it did not determine whether the alleged conduct occurred.
