If you own a MacBook Pro with a malfunctioning butterfly keyboard, it’s about time to collect the legal payout from Apple.
Back in 2022, a class action lawsuit was filed in federal court in San Jose, California, regarding the Butterfly Keyboard in MacBook models introduced between 2015 and 2019. The lawsuit was settled in November after a judge approved a proposal by Apple to pay owners of affected MacBook models, and now those customers are being contacted to claim their payout.
An email sent to qualifying customers detailed how Apple has agreed to pay $50 million into a settlement fund. After removing attorneys’ expenses, service awards, and other fees, the funds will be distributed among the members of the class action lawsuit. The payouts will vary depending on each class group.
In one instance, owners of MacBook Pro notebooks that had their keycaps replaced will be eligible for a $50 payout. Those who have had the entire keyboard replaced will be paid $125, and users who have had to order a keyboard replacement more than once can earn up to $395. Each Mac must have been taken to Apple or an authorized service provider to be eligible for the payout.
Within the terms of the settlement, the class action lawsuit alleged that the “butterfly” keyboard mechanism in certain MacBook laptops is defective, and can result in characters repeating unexpectedly; letters or characters not appearing; and/or the keys feeling “sticky” or not responding in a consistent manner.
Apple has denied all of the allegations stated in the lawsuit, including that any MacBooks are defective, and has denied that the company did anything improper or unlawful. The proposed Settlement is not an admission of guilt or wrongdoing of any kind by Apple. The United States District Court for the Northern District of California approved this notice.
The lawsuit currently only covers MacBooks purchased in California, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, or Washington. If you have an eligible MacBook, you need to submit an application by March 6, 2023, through the KeyboardSettlement.com website in order to get the payout.
For customers looking to exclude themselves from the class action lawsuit, they’ll need to do so by February 10, 2023. If nothing is done, there will be no payout received.
The butterfly keyboard was first introduced with the 2015 MacBook as a solution to make the computer even thinner. However, after it was put on the market, many customers were frustrated as the Butterfly Keyboard had many malfunctions, such as keys repeating unintentionally or even keys that stopped working.
Apple later expanded the butterfly keyboard to its entire lineup of MacBooks, including the MacBook Pro and the MacBook Air. In 2018, Apple finally announced a repair program that allowed owners of affected MacBooks to replace the keyboard for free if needed.
After almost five years, Apple brought back its classic keyboard, now dubbed the “Magic Keyboard,” to its full notebook line. A series of class action lawsuits were filed in a number of U.S. states, alleging that Apple knew from internal testing that the keyboard design was faulty yet released the machines anyway. Apple tried and failed to have the lawsuits dismissed.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via 9to5Mac