Apple faces lawsuit over swollen batteries in Watches

A proposed action lawsuit has been filed against Apple by a resident of New Jersey, Gina Priano-Keyser in the US district court while accusing the company of fraudulent business practices and breach of warranty related to the Apple Watch. The complainant has alleged that the Apple Watches up to and including the Series 4 models are prone to a defect that results in the swelling of the lithium-ion battery and causes the screen to crack, shatter and detach from the body of the Watch. The defects involves no fault of the wearer and occurs only days or weeks after purchase.

Gina further alleged that the company either knew or should have known that the Apple Watch models are defective before selling them and added that they pose a significant safety hazard to the consumers. The plaintiff has also claimed that a number of the users have suffered cuts and burns as a result of the shattered, scratched or detached screens. While Apple has acknowledged the problems of swollen batteries in some of the selected Apple Watch models in the past, and offered free repairs up to three years after purchase.

The complaint has also alleged that the company often attributes the issue to accidental damage and refuses to cover the repairs under warranty. Gina Priano, said that she purchased the Watch Series 3 in October 2017 and in July 2018, while charging, she alleged that the screen unexpectedly detached from the body of the watch and cracked. Her daughter pushed the screen back to the place but the Apple Watch has been unusable since then.

Gina also booked a Genius Bar appointment in August 2018 but upon inspection she alleged that the company denied to repair the Apple Watch free of charge under warranty and instead quoted her an out-of warranty fee of $229 for service. The complainant is seeking damages in an amount to be proven at trial for herself and all the other similarly situated.

Photo Credits: Digital Trends