Apple To Pay iDevice Owners $53 Million Settlement For Faulty Moisture Sensors
by Joe White
May 29, 2013
Apple has agreed to fork out some $53 million as the result of a long-standing class-action lawsuit, in which the Cupertino, Calif. company was accused of fitting its iDevices with "faulty" liquid contact indicators (LCIs).
While Apple claims that its LCI strips have always worked correctly, lawyers argued in a San Francisco court that countless legacy handsets had suffered liquid contact indicator activation through ordinary use. As such, numerous iPhone and iPod touch users had warranty claims denied by AppleCare since their products appeared to be "water damaged."
Bloomberg explains:
Apple Inc (AAPL). agreed to pay $53 million to resolve a consumer class-action lawsuit alleging the company relied on faulty indicators showing that iPhones and iPods were exposed to water to deny customers’ warranty claims. Lawyers for consumers say the liquid submersion indicators on iPhones and iPods could be triggered by moisture during ordinary use and falsely indicated devices had been damaged by liquid spills or submersion, problems that were excluded from coverage under Apple’s warranty.The suit dates back to 2010, and could see legacy iDevice owners receive as much as $300 depending on their circumstances. Particularly, if your iPhone warranty claim was denied before December 2009 on the basis of Apple's water damage policy, or if an iPod touch claim was denied before June 2010, then compensation could be yours. At the moment, however, the settlement is pending court approval. We'll keep you posted. In the meantime, see: Apple Rumored To Shift Back To Samsung For Thin Glass LCD Production, Tim Cook Explains Apple's Current "One-A-Year" iPhone Strategy At D11, and Apple Hires Former EPA Chief Lisa Jackson To Coordinate Its Environmental Efforts.
