Apple is getting hit with a nationwide, class action lawsuit over a defect in the 2016 MacBook Pros, called “Flexgate.” The case is Mahan Taleshpour et al. v. Apple, Inc., United States District Court Northern District of California, Case No. Case 5:20-cv-03122-VKD. A copy of the complaint can be found here.
Flexgate Lawsuit
Filed in the Northern District of California, the lawsuit claims that Apple knew about the defect in the MacBooks and concealed it from customers. The defect involves a thin, flexible cable that rubbed against internal hardware components every time these models are opened and closed.
Apple sold customers an extended warranty plan that only covered a portion of the repair cost, and the repair program allegedly failed to fix a large number of these MacBooks. Lead plaintiff Mahan Taleshpour bought a 2016 MacBook Pro for about US$2,500 in April 2017. By January 2020 the screen started to fail. He brought it to an Apple Authorized Service Provider who told him AppleCare didn’t cover the repair and would cost US$850.
PARRIS Law Firm attorney R. Rex Parris:
Imagine spending more than $2,500 on a laptop only for it to fail shortly after the manufacturer’s warranty expires. What’s even more appalling is Apple requiring customers to spend an additional $600 to $850 to replace the screen.