$20M Apple Watch Settlement Granted Preliminary Approval by Federal Judge

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A federal judge has preliminarily approved a $20 million settlement to resolve a proposed class action lawsuit that alleged a defect in certain Apple Watches could cause their screens to detach, shatter or crack.

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According to the initial lawsuit against Apple, the “dangerous safety hazard” stems from the tech giant’s failure to allocate enough space inside the watches to allow the lithium-ion battery to swell.

The Apple class action settlement, which was preliminarily approved by United States District Judge Haywood S. Gilliam, Jr. on October 25, covers anyone who owns or owned a First Generation, Series 1, Series 2 or Series 3 Apple Watch for personal and/or household use and reported symptoms potentially associated with battery swell to Apple in the United States between April 24, 2015 and February 6, 2024.

Class members will automatically receive a payout if the settlement administrator can confirm their valid, current payment information. Eligible consumers are encouraged to confirm or update their payment information online when the official Apple Watch settlement website—WatchSettlement.com—goes live.

ClassAction.org will update this page when the official Apple Watch settlement website goes live, so be sure to check back often.

“If you do not confirm or update your payment information and the Settlement Administrator cannot confirm valid, current payment information for you, you will not receive a payment,” a sample settlement notice stresses.

The deal will provide class members with an Apple Watch settlement payout of between roughly $20 and $50 per device. Payments may be less than $20 depending on the number of class members for whom payment information is available.

Apple Watch settlement payouts will be distributed only after the deal is granted final approval from the court and any appeals are resolved. A date for the final approval hearing for the settlement is not yet listed in public court records.

The plaintiffs filed their initial complaint against Apple in December 2021, claiming that the alleged defect prevented users from operating their Apple Watches, exposed consumers to the devices’ “razor-sharp” edges, and placed them at risk of lacerations, cuts, abrasions and other serious injuries. The case, filed in December 2021, alleged that the battery issue manifested in the First Generation, Series 1 through Series 6 and Series SE Apple Watches.

On October 15, Judge Haywood initially declined to approve the Apple Watch settlement and asked plaintiffs’ attorneys to submit additional information about the proposed deal. In particular, the judge wrote that the parties had not submitted sufficient evidence on “the value of the deal and how it compares to what consumers would be entitled to if they were to win each of their claims at trial.”

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