Apple Faces Class Action Lawsuit Over Defective Apple Watch Displays

Apple is no stranger to class action lawsuits and has fought many of them over the years. The most recent had to do with the butterfly keyboard on MacBook Pro computers. Apple is now facing another class action suit and this time the suit is over the Apple Watch. The class action lawsuit claims that all Apple Watches from the original Series 0 through the current Series 3 share the same defect that affects the screen.

The main claim in the suit is that there is a defect that results in the screens cracking, shattering, or detaching from the body of the watch. The screen issues seen are allegedly no fault of the user and often happen only days or weeks after purchase. The suit also claims that Apple has been aware of the defect since the Apple Watch launched and has refused to honor warranty claims for the issue. The lawsuit is seeking $5 million.

The lawsuit reads, “Further, Apple’s conduct, when confronted with the Defect, indicates that its internal policy is to deny the existence of the Defect, claim the Defect is the result of “accidental damage” caused by consumers, and then refuse to honor its Limited Warranty on those grounds.”

So far, Apple has recognized a few defects with the Apple Watch. On Series 0 models, a battery issue was acknowledged. Apple extended the warranty for the battery due to swelling that could detach the back cover. Battery swelling could potentially detach the screen according to some users. The same coverage for batteries was later offered to owners of the Series 2 models. Series 3 Apple Watches have a confirmed issue with some units showing visible stripe markings on the display.