A Ninth Circuit judge has ruled in favor of Apple in a class-action lawsuit aimed at reinstating a “stage light” or “flex door” defect that allegedly caused a stage-light-like screen defect on the MacBook Pro. The plaintiffs initially sued Apple in 2020, claiming the company knew that 2016 and 2017 MacBook Pro models were prone to screen failures. The defective cable allegedly caused black spots on the screen and even rendered the display unusable.
However, in July 2021, the case was dismissed. U.S. District Judge Edward Davila concluded that the plaintiffs had failed to demonstrate that the problem was a technical hazard, nor the accompanying allegations that Apple concealed its knowledge of the problem. Plaintiffs subsequently appealed the 2021 ruling, but the appeal has now been dismissed, according to Bloomberg Law.
In dismissing the appeal, the Ninth Circuit said Apple was under no obligation to disclose the issue. The previous ruling said that because of how it behaved in some users after the warranty period, Apple had no specific obligation to do anything with it other than an approved repair authorization extension.
Apple launched a repair program for affected models in 2019 after iFixit’s research determined the cause was a thin cable integrated into the display.