(PatriotPostNews.com) – Amid a lengthy class action lawsuit alleging that Apple intentionally slowed down some United States iPhones, the company has begun making payments of a major settlement amount.
Defendants in the case are set to be paid $92 each, amounting to a total of $500 million. The case was reportedly settled in 2020, when Apple declared its innocence of the accusations but agreed to settle the case due to ongoing legal costs.
The lawsuit, which began in December 2017, surrounds accusations from iPhone users that the tech giant had intentionally programmed certain products to slow down over time. At the time, Apple reportedly admitted that this was the case.
The company explained that, when product batteries grew older, the accuracy of its performance deteriorated, leading to a longer but less effective product lifespan. However, Apple was also accused of inhibiting the performance of some iPhone products without informing paying customers.
As a result, the company offered a discount battery replacement service to mitigate the negative impact. This eventually led to the lawsuit being filed in the United States. The initial settlement indicated that every defendant involved in the case would be given less than $30, but that number has increased to be nearly $100 each.
Similarly, in the United Kingdom, Apple faced a similar lawsuit. This case began in June 2022 and involved roughly 24 million iPhone consumers. Apple lost an appeal to have the action blocked in court and claimed the lawsuit was “baseless.”
Justin Gutmann, the man who initiated the United Kingdom suit, specified to the media that the company had only settled in the United States case, emphasizing that they “haven’t admitted anything.”
He further described the settlement as “a moral victory” while turning his attention on his own case, considering the fight that Apple was putting up in the United Kingdom prior to its appearance in the Court of Appeal.
Though unclear of the precise date, Gutmann expressed hope that his case would begin being heard in trial at the end of 2024 or beginning of 2025.
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