Apple Class Action Lawsuit Says iMacs, MacBooks Need Dust Filters

A class action lawsuit filed against Apple claims that iMacs and MacBooks need dust filters but Apple has not remedied the problem and instead charges customers too much for repairs.

Plaintiffs Kim Ahern, Nikolas Frenzel, and Justin Evans say they purchased Apple products for personal and professional use.

The Apple class action alleges that the plaintiffs use of their iMacs and MacBooks is impeded by the fact that the devices are not fitted with filters for the fans that prevent the devices from overheating.

The Apple iMac class action claims that this problem causes dust to enter the computer screens and causes dark smudges to appear in the corners of the screens. The plaintiffs say they could not remove these smudges themselves, and that the problem resulted in them not being able to use their Apple computers.

For example, Ahern says she uses her computer for her photography business, and the dark smudges in the corner of her iMac screen made her unable to tell if the computer or the image she had taken was smudged, impacting her livelihood and business.

The three Apple customers claim that the lack of filters also affects the functionality of the computer in another way, because dust can accumulate on the computer’s motherboard, causing it to short-circuit and not function as it should.

The Apple MacBook class action alleges that customers are not warned that the devices aren’t fitted with filters, and are not told that the devices will not function effectively because of this problem.

They claim that they were financially injured by the problem because had they known that the device did not have a filter to prevent debris from entering the computer and appearing on the screen, they would not have purchased the computer or would not have paid as much for it as they did.

The Apple iMac computer class action alleges that Apple did not attempt to remedy the problem by installing filters, and instead, charges customers $600 or more to replace the screen entirely to get rid of the dark smudges.

The customers say this remedy is costly and unnecessary, because the original screen could be temporarily removed and wiped with a cloth and then replaced to remove the smudges. However, Apple allegedly doesn’t offer this less costly option.

Ahern, Frenzel, and Evans claim that Apple charges customers who complain about the filter problem $600 or more to entirely replace the screen.

Additionally, the Apple laptop class action states that Apple did not make an attempt to remedy the problem by installing filters in the affected computers, though they should have known that the filters would solve this problem.

According to the Apple computer filters class action lawsuit, it is well-known in the computer industry that filters help keep computers functioning normally, and prevent debris from entering the computer, when the fans are in use to keep the computers from overheating.

The three customers allege that Apple should have installed filters in the computers to begin with.

Ahern, Frenzel, and Evans are represented by Jeff D. Friedman, Steve W. Berman, and Jerrod C. Patterson of Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP.

The Apple iMac MacBook Fan Filter Class Action Lawsuit is Kim Ahern, et al. v. Apple Inc., Case No. 5:18-cv-07196, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, San Jose Division.

UPDATE: On June 5, 2019, a federal judge denied Apple’s attempt to dismiss a MacBook, iMac filter defect class action, saying both parties need to work together to trim the claims.