Apple Watch Facing Class Action Lawsuit for Defective Design

December 16, 2021 – San Diego, CA.  Apple was recently served with a class action lawsuit in California for an alleged design defect that some claim caused the screens to crack or shatter that could lead to injuries. 

This California based class action was brought to the federal court from plaintiffs Jason Roush, Karen Smithson, Chris Smith, Cheryl Smith, and Corey Pomroy whom all claim the watches were manufactured in a way that doesn’t leave enough space internally for the batteries to swell during use thus causing the screens to develop cracks or even shatter.

The lawsuit states: “The detached, shattered or cracked screens are a material and unreasonably dangerous safety hazard,” the lawsuit continues with a claim that the design was made that way to keep the overall case very slim and compact.

When these watches break the screens contain “razor sharp” pieces that can cut into the wearer’s skin.

One of the plaintiff stated his Apple Watch broke causing the screen to separate from the device and cut a vein in his arm.

Other plaintiffs mentioned that they wouldn’t have purchased these watches if they had known of the design defect.

All plaintiffs claim that Apple knew of the design defect, noting a patent issued to Apple in 2015, which alluded to the possibility of the batter swelling that, would cause “physical damage to the device.”

They also pointed out that there were numerous complaints of the device in Apple’s online “Support Communities” forum.

What watch models and products will Apple support for users with broken or cracked screens?

We pulled this information from the Apple’s support site, link provided below.

Not the first battery swelling problem for Apple.

In 2019 a New Jersey woman came forth and filed a class action lawsuit who claimed that her Apple Watch Series 3 screen became detached and then cracked after the battery swelled up.  

Apple then offered free replacements for users of the Series 2 and 3 versions, and the company admitted that “Under very rare circumstances, a crack may form along the rounded edge of the screen.”

This lawsuit claims that Apple is in violation of a number of consumer protection laws and the plaintiff groups wants a class action status for those who purchased an Apple Watch from its first model in 2015 to last year’s models.

The lawyers at Schmidt National Law Group will continue to monitor this class action lawsuit and will update this blog post as the story develops.

The Apple Watch Class Action Lawsuit is:  Smith, et al. v. Apple, Inc., Case No. 4:21-cv-09527, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

Sources:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-12-10/apple-sued-over-broken-watch-screens-that-injured-customers

https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-class-action-lawsuit-apple-watch-screens-swollen-batteries-2021-12

https://support.apple.com/screen-replacement-program-apple-watch-series-2-3