New Apple Settlement Could Lead to Payout for MacBook Owners: See If You’re Eligible

The MacBook Pro laptop is displayed at an Apple Store in Corte Madera, Calif., on June 27, 2019. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

The deadline to claim upwards of $395 for a payout of up to $400 following an Apple Inc. class-action settlement is fast approaching.

It says that a design flaw in the laptops made between 2015 and 2019 led to a litany of problems before Apple agreed to settle the claims last year. A lawsuit alleged that MacBook laptops sold between those years contained defective keyboards, court documents say.

The deadline to file a claim regarding the butterfly keyboard settlement is 11:59 p.m. PT on March 6, or in just under three weeks from now, according to a settlement-related website. If one wants to object to that settlement, the deadline passed, as it was Feb. 10.

If you want to file, one can submit an online claim via the settlement website. You can also mail a completed form to MacBook Keyboard Litigation Settlement c/o JND Legal Administration PO Box 91341 Seattle, WA 98111. One can also call the claims administrator at 1-855-579-1311 for more information, the settlement website says.

Proof of purchase along with the laptop’s serial number will be required for claim approval. Customers will also have to support “[their] claim with reasonable documentation and information that you received a Topcase Replacement or a Keycap replacement” and “may also download and submit a Paper Claim Form or request from the Claims Administrator,” described on the website.

After the March 6 deadline passes, a “Final Approval Hearing” is slated to be held on March 16 of this year, according to the website, and any payments would likely go out after that. “If the Settlement is approved, there may be appeals,” it adds. “The appeal process can take time. If there is no appeal, your settlement benefit will be processed promptly. Please be patient.”

Eligible customers can claim up to $395, although the settlement website notes that it depends on how many repairs you sought for the impacted MacBook. Consumers who had to change several keyboards within four years can get an estimated payment of between $300 and $395, and they have until Nov. 24, 2024, to qualify.

If a customer replaced an impacted MacBook keyboard just once, they are eligible for up to $125, it notes. Customers who replaced keyboard key caps may get up to $50, it adds.

“If you appear in Apple’s records as having received multiple Topcase Replacements, you will receive a summary notice via email or postcard stating that you are a Group 1 Settlement Class Member. Settlement Class Members in Group 1 will receive a payment without the need to submit a claim if the Settlement is approved by the Court and becomes effective,” according to the site.

“If you appear in Apple’s records as having received a single Topcase Replacement or Keycap Replacement, you are a Group 2 or Group 3 Settlement Class Member and will receive an email or postcard with a Unique ID that you can use to complete and submit an Online Claim Form that will be pre-populated with information regarding your claim. You may also download and submit a Paper Claim Form or request one from the Claims Administrator, as described below.”

For everyone else, they can submit the online claim form via the website.

Apple last year (pdf) agreed to pay $50 million to settle a class-action lawsuit from consumers who claimed the keyboards on some MacBook laptops were poorly designed or faulty.  Court papers contended that Apple knew about a defect in its so-called “butterfly” keyboards on MacBooks made between 2015 and 2019 and that it “fraudulently concealed” the design flaw from its customers.

The initial lawsuit claimed that malfunctions with the keyboard 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 long denied any wrongdoing but reached the settlement in July 2022.

Former Apple marketing director Phil Schiller told CNET in 2019 that he butterfly design “had some things it did really well” and “felt more firm and flat under your finger ... some people really like that, but other people weren’t really happy with that.” It was phased out in 2019.

A November 2022 court decision means that the $50 million settlement can apply to the MacBook owners nationwide, according to a Macworld report. The settlement initially applied only to New York, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, and Washington.