Second Apple Class Action Alleges MacBook Pro Keyboard Defect

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A second Apple class action lawsuit claims MacBook Pro keyboards made after 2016 are defective due to a design flaw in the “butterfly switch” mechanism in the keys.

Plaintiffs Remy Turner, Christopher Martin, and Joey Baruch filed the Apple class action lawsuit on Tuesday making very similar allegations to another class action lawsuit filed earlier this month.

The Apple MacBook Pro laptop owners claim that the delicate components of the keyboard design are rendered inoperable when dust and debris gets trapped under the keys.

The Apple keyboard class action lawsuit alleges that the “butterfly switch” keyboard was introduced by Apple in 2015.

Turner and the other plaintiffs state that in a butterfly switch keyboard, the keys are barely raised off of the main computer at all, and are propped up with two intersecting pieces of plastic. Allegedly, the butterfly switches are very delicate, and are held in place by four threads of brittle plastic.

According to the Apple MacBook Pro class action lawsuit, this keyboard design differs from Apple’s preceding keyboard designs in that the keys are barely raised from the body of the computer. This does mean that there is less opportunity for dust and debris to get trapped under the keys, which was a problem in older models of MacBook Pro computers.

However, because butterfly switch keyboards are so delicate, if any dust or debris gets trapped under the keys, it can allegedly render the keyboard, with its tiny, delicate mechanisms, inoperable.

The MacBook Pro class action states that the problem of dust and debris rendering the butterfly switch inoperable most commonly occurs with the space bar.

According to the Apple butterfly switch keyboard class action lawsuit, keys cannot be removed to be cleaned without risking damage to the keyboard. The plaintiffs note that even Apple’s “Genius” employees at their stores cannot remove the keys.

Allegedly, thousands of consumers have reported the problem to Apple, to which the company replied that consumers could try holding the computer at a 75 degree angle and spraying compressed air under the keys.

Consumers claimed that this solution often did not work at all, and when it did work, only worked temporarily, and did nothing to prevent the problem form occurring later on.

The Apple laptop keyboard defect class action lawsuit states that Apple’s products do come with a one year warranty, but the company does not fulfill its warranty obligations in the case of these computers.

Allegedly, the company offered self-help solutions instead of legitimately fulfilling its warranty obligation to address the problems with the MacBook Pros.

The Apple MacBook laptop class action lawsuit claims that the one solution available is to completely replace the keyboard. However, consumers say that replacing the keyboard only allows for the same problem to occur later on, with the new keyboard.

Additionally, this problem often occurs in computers outside the one year warranty and in this case, Apple refuses to pay for a repair or replacement for the keyboard problem, costing consumers between $400 and $700.

The consumers claim that Apple knew or should have known that the butterfly switch keyboard was defective in its design, and continued to sell computers with the keyboard nonetheless.

Allegedly, the company received unjust enrichment from these sales, financially injured consumers, and breached warranty by not providing sufficient solutions to the problem.

The Apple laptop owners are represented by Robert C. Schubert, William F. Jonckheer, Miranda P. Kolbe, and Noah M. Schubert of Schubert Jonckheer & Kolbe LLP.

The Apple MacBook Pro Keyboard Defect Class Action Lawsuit is Remy Turner, et al. v. Apple Inc., Case No. 5:18-cv-03048, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

UPDATE: On Nov. 22, 2019, a California federal judge ruled that Apple must face a MacBook class action that alleges its laptops were equipped with defective keyboards.