Apple class action alleges AirPods Pro Gen 1 have audio defect

AirPods defect class action overview: 

• Who: Three AirPods consumers — plaintiffs Lindsey LaBella, Michael Pawson and Stacey Rodgers — are suing Apple.
• Why: The plaintiffs allege Apple sold defective AirPods Pro Gen 1 headphones.
• Where: The Apple class action was filed in a California federal court.

Apple has been hit with a class action lawsuit by three AirPods Pro consumers who say the tech giant sold them and others defective headphones. 

Plaintiffs Lindsey LaBella, Michael Pawson and Stacey Rodgers filed the class action complaint against Apple Inc. on Nov. 1 in a California federal court, alleging violations of state and federal consumer laws. 

The three Apple consumers allege Apple knowingly sold AirPods Pro Gen 1 headphones that suffered from an audio defect.

According to the Apple AirPods lawsuit, the issue dates back to 2019, shortly after Apple launched the AirPods Pro Gen 1. 

Customers began reporting sound issues, including crackling or static sounds, reduced bass and excessive background noise during use, the Apple class action states. 

Apple acknowledged the problem in October 2020 on its support page, listing the same sound issues as common complaints, it says. Despite this, the plaintiffs say Apple continued selling the headphones until September 2022 without resolving the defect, misleading customers into paying a premium for a faulty product.

Apple misled customers over quality, durability of AirPods Pro Gen 1, lawsuit states

Apple marketed the AirPods Pro Gen 1 as superior in both sound quality and noise-canceling capabilities, which made them attractive to consumers willing to pay hundreds of dollars, the Apple AirPods lawsuit states. 

However, consumers would not have purchased the AirPods Pro or would have paid less had they been aware of the alleged defects, it says. 

According to the plaintiffs, the audio defect rendered the headphones less valuable than advertised, which caused financial damages to consumers who expected top-quality performance.

“Reasonable consumers, including Plaintiffs, would not have purchased Apple’s AirPods Pro Gen 1 had they known that Apple’s representations about audio functionality and quality were false and misleading,” the Apple Airpods lawsuit states.

As a result, the plaintiffs are looking to represent all U.S. customers who purchased the AirPods Pro Gen 1. 

They’re suing for violations of state warranty and consumer laws, and are seeking certification of the class action, damages, fees, costs and a jury trial. 

In 2022, the parents of a teenage boy in Texas sued Apple Inc. and the manufacturer of its AirPods earbuds alleging the boy suffered permanent hearing loss when an Amber Alert came through on his phone and the loud sound “ripped open” his eardrum.

What do you think of the allegations in this AirPods Pro 1 lawsuit? Let us know in the comments.

The plaintiff is represented by Annick M. Persinger, Emily Feder Cooper, Andrea R. Gold and Anna C. Haac of Tycko & Zavareei Llp Tycko & Zavareei LLP and Patrick Brickman and Frank Bartela of Dworken & Bernstein Co., L.P.A. 

The AirPods defect class action lawsuit is Lindsey LaBella et al., v. Apple Inc., Case No. 5:24-cv-07588-NC, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

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