B.C. Supreme Court approves $14.4M settlement of iPhone class-action lawsuit
The British Columbia Supreme Court has approved a countrywide multimillion-dollar settlement of a class-action lawsuit against Apple over software updates that allegedly slowed down older iPhones.
“We're pleased with the results,” said K.S. Garcha, a lawyer for the class. “It was a complex matter.”
Garcha said in an interview that the judge in the case approved the settlement at a hearing Tuesday.
Class members who make claims on the $14.4-million settlement can expect to receive between $17.50 and $150 each, depending on how many people submit a claim for the settlement money, he said.
The agreement covers eligible residents of Canada except those in Quebec, which Garcha said is about nine million people.
The settlement process took a couple of years, with Apple agreeing to a “compromise” without admitting any wrongdoing, Garcha said.
Going to trial rather than settling could've taken “a long period of time,” he said.
“The court may not approve some of the claims that you're making, there's an issue with regards to how the damages were quantified, there are potential appeals, he said.
The company “vigorously defended the thing up until the settlement negotiations,” Garcha added.
He said the class-action lawsuit involved novel legal theories about the company putting software on devices without the owners' consent.
People who owned iPhone models covered by the settlement have six months to make a claim, and the online process requires a person's name, address and iPhone serial number.
People also have to declare under oath that they downloaded or installed certain software updates on a variety of iPhone 6 and 7 models before Dec. 21, 2017.
They would have also had to have “experienced diminished performance on that device after the relevant iOS version was installed or downloaded.”
The settlement agreement with Apple will see the company pay out between $11,137,500 and $14,427,500 depending on how many claims are made and approved.
The claims website for the “Canadian iPhone Power Management Class Action,” says Quebec residents are excluded from the settlement because there's a separate, ongoing case before the courts in that province.
The B.C. lawsuit was originally filed in 2018, and Apple settled a similar case in the United States involving so-called throttling of iPhone 6 and 7 models, and Garcha said American class members ended up with US$92 payouts.
At a hearing in Vancouver in late January, Apple's lawyer Jill Yates told the court the company has never admitted wrongdoing.
“Apple, throughout, has taken a position that it has done nothing wrong here,” she said. “These claims are novel and they are not ones where Apple agrees that anything was wrongfully done.”
The company did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment about the settlement approval.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 4, 2024.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Another suspect arrested in Toronto Pearson airport gold heist: police
Police say another suspect is in custody in connection with the gold heist at Toronto Pearson International Airport last year.
Why these immigrants to Canada say they're thinking about leaving, or have already moved on
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
Trump hush money trial: Play-by-play on Day 2 of Stormy Daniels testimony
Adult film star Stormy Daniels took the stand for a second time Thursday as former U.S. president Donald Trump's hush money case continues in Manhattan.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
Miss Teen USA steps down just days after Miss USA's resignation
Miss Teen USA resigned Wednesday, sending further shock waves through the pageant community just days after Miss USA said she would relinquish her crown.
Cyclist strikes child crossing the street to catch school bus in Montreal
A video circulating on social media of a young girl being hit by a bike has some calling for better safety and more caution when designing bike lanes in the city. The video shows a four-year-old girl crossing Jeanne-Mance Street in Montreal's Plateau neighbourhood to get on a school bus stopped on the opposite side of the street
B.C. wildfires likely to spread with weekend temperatures expected to soar, province says
Wildfire and emergency management officials in British Columbia are urging residents to be prepared for increased fire activity as temperatures are expected to soar above 30 C in parts of the province this weekend.
Wilfrid Laurier football player drafted despite only playing 27 games in his entire life
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.