The Apple logo, a symbol of sleek innovation, prominently hangs at the entrance of its iconic store on 5th Avenue, Manhattan, New York.
Apple Inc. is gearing up for a high-stakes courtroom showdown set for February 2026. This $7 billion class action, lodged in a California federal court, accuses the tech giant of monopolizing its iPhone app market, leading millions of customers to incur inflated costs.
U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers has scheduled the jury trial after greenlighting the case as a class action. This includes all U.S. Apple customers who have spent $10 or more on apps or in-app purchases since 2008.
The origins of the lawsuit trace back to 2011, with allegations that Apple artificially inflated its 30% sales commission on the App Store, a cost purportedly transferred to consumers via higher app prices. An expert for the plaintiffs estimates the damages to range between $7 billion and $10 billion. Apple’s attempt to challenge the class certification was rebuffed by an appeals court in May.
Apple has yet to comment on the case and maintains its stance of no wrongdoing. Meanwhile, the plaintiffs’ attorney, Mark Rifkin of Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz, expressed readiness for trial, noting that pretrial preparations are nearly complete.
In a related matter, Judge Rogers is also evaluating Apple’s compliance with an order to provide developers more leeway in offering alternative payment methods within apps. This stems from a separate lawsuit by Epic Games, the creator of “Fortnite,” which didn’t seek monetary damages.
Additionally, Apple is embroiled in another legal battle in New Jersey federal court, where the U.S. government and a coalition of states accuse it of monopolizing the smartphone market. Apple plans to seek dismissal of this lawsuit, with the first significant hearing slated for July 17.
In re: Apple iPhone Antitrust Litigation, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, No. 4:11-cv-06714-YGR.
Additional Reading:
Apple Overcomes US Consumer Lawsuit Over Third-Party iPhone Apps
Document Demands Could Delay Epic Antitrust Ruling Against Apple
Judge Approves Apple App Store Class Action
