A Ninth Circuit judge denied an appeal to reopen a class-action lawsuit regarding a design flaw in certain MacBook Pro models.
The original lawsuit alleged that the company concealed the use of internal display cables that caused dark areas to appear on some MacBook screens and eventually made some displays unusable. The effect of the defect was similar to stage lighting. The backlight failed according to some reports.
The first lawsuit against Apple was filed in 2020 and claimed the company knew about the issues in the MacBook Pro but continued to sell them to customers. A judge said last year that Apple was to blame for the faulty Macs.
The allegations of pre-release testing in combination with the allegations of substantial customer complaints are enough to show that Apple had exclusive knowledge of the alleged defect, according to the judge.
Apple quietly fixed the problem in its model after failing to address concerns for years. After denying warranty repairs on affected systems, the company created a display backlight service program for the 13-inch MacBook Pro but left out the 15-inch model. Apple was aware of the fragility of the larger version, according to the lawsuit.
iFixit determined that Apple used a thin, flimsy ribbon cable to connect the display to the base after introducing the Touch Bar. The cable was pulled tight when you lifted the lid. MacBook owners were billed $600 for a full screen replacement after an issue was caused by a non-serviceable $6 component.
The current generation of MacBook Pro laptops uses flexible ribbon cables to connect the display to a display controller board beneath the Touch Bar. These cables wrap over the board, where they’re secured by a pair of spring-loaded covers—and they’re subjected to the stress of bending with every opening and closure of the laptop. Within a seemingly short time, those cables are starting to fatigue and tear. The backlight cable is generally the first to go, producing the infamous “stage light” symptoms, and eventually giving out entirely when the laptop is opened more than about 40°.
The class-action lawsuit was thrown out by a US District Judge in July of 2021, who found that the plaintiffs failed to prove that the defect was a safety hazard and that Apple knew about it.
The plaintiffs appealed against the ruling in hopes of reviving their case. In addition, it alleged fraudulent concealment under common law theory and deceptive trade statutes in Washington, Florida, New Jersey, Michigan, Alaska, Missouri, Massachusetts, and Texas. The Ninth Circuit decided that Apple did not have to reveal the flaw.
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