Last year, Apple was hit with a class action lawsuit alleging that it failed to properly address and fix crackling and Active Noise Cancellation issues affecting first-generation AirPods Pro units.
As reported by Reuters, Apple this week convinced a US judge to dismiss part of this proposed class action lawsuit.
AirPods Pro 1 problems
Apple launched a service program for the original AirPods Pro in October 2020, saying that a manufacturing problem could cause “sound issues” on some units. The company said that affected units were manufactured before October 2020 and that Apple would replace those units free of charge.
Here’s how Apple described the problems when it launched that service program:
An affected AirPods Pro may exhibit one or more of the following behaviors:
- Crackling or static sounds that increase in loud environments, with exercise or while talking on the phone
- Active Noise Cancellation not working as expected, such as a loss of bass sound, or an increase in background sounds, such as street or airplane noise
The proposed class action lawsuit
Filed last year, the proposed class action lawsuit accused Apple of misrepresenting the ANC capabilities of first-generation AirPods Pro and failing to disclose the aforementioned defects.
The lawsuit also suggested the service program was essentially useless, as “users simply received another defective set of AirPods Pro Gen 1, with many users later experiencing the Audio Defect with the defective replacement set as well.”
Today, Reuters reports that Apple has successfully convinced US District Judge Noël Wise in San Jose to dismiss part of the case. Specifically the judge granted Apple’s request to “dismiss nationwide consumer protection and warranty allegations, saying the plaintiffs had not presented sufficient factual detail.”
A claim for “unjust enrichment under California law” was also dismissed.
However, Apple didn’t fend off the entire case. Judge Wise ruled that plaintiffs can move forward with “claims that Apple omitted material facts about its AirPods’ sound quality.” Furthermore, the court ruled it was “too early to weigh whether Apple had a duty to disclose the alleged defect after the devices’ one-year warranty period expired.”
You can read the original lawsuit filling at ClassAction.org and this week’s follow-up at Reuters.
Assuming the case continues to progress through the court system, affected AirPods Pro 1 users will eventually be able to sign up to join the class.
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