US District Judge Edward Davila in San Jose, California,
federal court in his ruling called the settlement "fair, adequate and
reasonable."
Eleven consumers from New York, Florida, California,
Michigan and several other states were the lead plaintiffs in the national
class action alleging consumer protection and warranty claims.
The lawsuit accused Apple of failing to provide sufficient
repairs or troubleshooting help for certain MacBook "butterfly"
keyboards made between 2015 and 2019.
An Apple spokesperson on Friday did not immediately respond
to a message seeking comment.
The plaintiffs' lawyers announced the deal a year ago. Apple
denied any wrongdoing.
Class members will receive $50 up to $395 based on the
number and nature of repairs made to a keyboard.
More than 86,000 claims for class member payments were
submitted as of early March, Davila's order showed.
One challenge to the settlement said $125 — the compensation
for members of one group in the class — was not enough, because keyboard
repairs can cost more than $300.
The possibility that a better settlement may have been
reached — or that the benefits provided under the settlement will not make
class members 'whole' — are insufficient grounds to deny approval," Davila
wrote in his order.
Other challenges argued it was unfair to deny any
compensation to MacBook owners who experienced keyboard failures but who did
not get them repaired.
Davila said that "while not all who were purportedly
injured will receive compensation, the settlement compromise benefits a
significant number of individuals."
The court's ruling approved a request from the plaintiffs'
lawyers for $15 million in legal fees.
Two lead plaintiffs' lawyers at Girard Sharp and Chimicles
Schwartz Kriner & Donaldson-Smith in a statement said they "look
forward to getting the money out to our clients."
The case is In re: MacBook Keyboard Litigation, US District
Court, Northern District of California, No. 5:18-cv-02813-EJD. © Reuters