Apple has confirmed Jon Prosser's claims that they are in discussions, but says he still hasn't filed a court response. But his co-defendant has been cooperating, and could settle.

In July 2025, Apple sued Prosser and Ramacciotti over allegedly using an employee's iPhone to gain details of what was then the forthcoming iOS 26. As the case continued, Apple claimed that Prosser missed a court deadline.

Subsequently, Prosser issued a statement saying that this was not true. "I have been in active communications with Apple," he said.

Nonetheless, Apple had successfully persuaded the court to continue the case without a response from Prosser. Now Apple has filed further documentation with the US District Court, seemingly in part because of Prosser's latest claim.

Defendant Jon Prosser has not yet appeared in this action or filed a response to the Complaint," says Apple's lawyers in their full court filing. "Mr. Prosser has publicly acknowledged the Complaint, but has not indicated whether he will file a response to it or, if so, by when."

As first spotted by MacRumors, the filing was made jointly by Apple and the lawyers representing co-defendent Michael Ramacciotti. A statement in the filing from those lawyers portrays Ramacciotti as "a lifelong Apple fanboy."

It says that Ramacciotti failed to appreciate the value and nature of what he gathered about iOS 26 from an Apple employee. Ramacciotti admits providing this information to Prosser, but there was "no intent to monetize" it.

Ramacciotti is said to have provided Apple with computers and archives, plus complete access to his emails. He is also reported to have met with Apple's counsel several times.

For its part, Apple alleges that Ramacciotti intentionally deleted several hundreds of thousands of text messages, after being told to keep them as evidence. This is a standard requirement in legal disputes, but Ramacciotti's lawyers say he either overlooked the request, or misunderstood it.

What happens next

Apple continues to seek an injunction against both Prosser and Ramacciotti, plus monetary damages. It has asked for a trial by jury, and lawyers for both sides have proposed a case schedule beginning January 2026.

Apart from that schedule in the full filing, and Prosser's alleged failure to file a response, the case is proceeding as expected. However, the new filing does contain one significant development.

"The parties have not participated in formal alternative dispute resolution or settlement processes but have informally discussed settlement," it says. "The parties' informal settlement discussions are ongoing."

Apple's and Ramacciotti's lawyers also jointly say that they would be willing to work with a mediator, or a court-appointed settlement judge.

This court filing appears to specifically refer to Ramacciotti — and so not Jon Prosser — when it specifies mediation and settlement. It does state that Ramacciotti has agreed to respond formally by October 29, 2025.

The filing only briefly refers to Ethan Lipnik, the friend of Ramacciotti's who was then fired because of the leak. At present, Lipnik's LinkedIn profile suggests that he remains unemployed.