Apple Class Action Says Watches Shatter Due To Design Defect

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An Apple Watch owner says the screen cracked unexpectedly due to a design defect.

The Apple class action lawsuit claims that this common defect exists in Second Generation Apple Watches (Series 1 and 2) and the Third Generation watches (Series 3).

Plaintiff Gina Priano-Keyser says she purchased a Series 3 Apple Watch, and the screen broke because of no fault of her own.

The Apple Watch class action lawsuit states that Apple represents its watches as durable, when in reality they are not.

Allegedly, Priano-Keyser and other consumers were financially injured by the defective watches because had they known that the screen would break randomly, they would not have purchased the watches or would not have paid as much for them as they did.

The plaintiff says that on Oct. 15, 2017, she purchased a new Series 3 Apple Watch for $329 plus tax from the Kohl’s website, and picked it up from Kohl’s, an authorized Apple dealer, in New Jersey.

She says that on July 4, 2018, while the watch was on its charger, the screen unexpectedly detached from the watch’s body.

When Priano-Keyser looked at the watch, she claims that it had a long, deep, jagged crack spanning the length of the screen.

Priano-Keyer says that her daughter, the wearer of the watch, pushed the screen back into place, but the watch was unusable.

The Apple Watch class action states that Priano-Keyser contacted Apple in the weeks after the watch screen broke, and attended a Genius bar appointment on Aug. 10, 2017.

She claims that she was told at the appointment that the watch would need to be sent to the Apple depot for screening diagnosis and repair.

However, on Aug. 13, 2017, the plaintiff was reportedly informed that Apple would not repair the watch under warranty.

Allegedly, Apple not only refused to cover the repair under Apple’s Limited Warranty, but quoted her a price of $229 to repair the watch.

According to the Apple class action lawsuit, she declined the offer and picked up the watch, which she states has been unusable since the screen broke.

Priano-Keyser argues that the screen did not break because of mistreatment to the watch — claiming that she maintained the watch as recommended by Apple.

Allegedly, the watch was in like-new condition, with no damage to it before the screen broke.

The Apple Watch screen class action lawsuit says that many consumers have had the same problem, with the screens of their Apple watches breaking, cracking, or falling out of the watch body.

Allegedly, Apple repeatedly and systematically refuses to cover the watch screen breakage under the warranty program.

The Apple Watch screen class action lawsuit argues that Apple implicitly or expressly blames consumers for the watch screen breaks, which is actually a defect and not the result of user fault.

The Apple Watch owners are represented by James Shah and Natalie Finkelman Bennett of Shepherd Finkelman Miller & Shah LLP, and by John Edgar and Brendan McNeal of Edgar Law Firm LLC.

The Apple Watch Screen Break Class Action Lawsuit is Gina Priano-Keyser v. Apple Inc., Case No. 2:19-cv-09162, in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.

UPDATE: On Dec. 31, 2019, despite its efforts to have claims dismissed, Apple will have to face a class action lawsuit that takes issue with alleged defects in Apple Watches.