AppleInsider Staff
The resolution to a class-action lawsuit over the sensitivity of liquid damage sensors in iPhones and iPods will cost Apple $53 million, it was revealed on Tuesday.
Apple's agreed upon price in the class-action lawsuit was revealed by Bloomberg, which noted that consumers could be eligible for $300 depending on which iPhone or iPod model they owned. The terms of the settlement were detailed in court documents filed in San Francisco.
Members of the class-action complaint argued that the Liquid Submersion Indicators that have been included in various Apple products over the years are faulty, and could be triggered during normal use without actually being submerged in water. Apple's policy was to deny repairs to a broken device if the liquid indicator had been triggered.
Tuesday's report indicated that the settlement applies to customers whose warranty claims for iPhones were denied before Dec. 31, 2009, while iPod touches denied before June 2010 are also eligible for settlement funds.
The complaint dates back to April of 2010, and was first filed by San Francisco, Calif., resident Charlene Gallion. The plaintiff said she took her non-functional iPhone 3G into an Apple STore for service, and was told she was not eligible for free repair or replacement because a Liquid Submersion Indicator had been triggered.
Apple began relaxing its repair policy for iPods with triggered liquid sensors in early 2011. In some cases, if there are no external signs of corrosion, the hardware will be replaced.
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
Chip Loder
Malcolm Owen
9 Comments
Upwards of $300? Wonder how much the lawyers got.
[quote name="Just_Me" url="/t/157722/apple-to-pay-53m-in-iphone-ipod-liquid-sensor-lawsuit-settlement#post_2334352"]Upwards of $300? Wonder how much the lawyers got. [/quote] They get 30% of every successful claim filed
No no no no no, that's too little...
As I understand it, they get 30% of the entire class of claims (which Apple knows, because they have a record of who's denied claims).
They also get the interest on the account, as they pay out to the individual claimants, and probably get to keep the $$ of those who ignore or did not want to claim.
good! I cleaned my Sidekick with Windex and it turned the paper pink. I was fumed! It is totally unreliable and does NOT prove it was submerged in water.
My son took his PLaystation X into the bathroom when he had a shower, condensation from steam tripped the sensor and it stopped working. Warranty was denied, I want some money!