A Florida woman is seeking more than $5 million from Apple on behalf of thousands of iPhone owners who allegedly bought phones with defective power buttons that would not lock or turn off.<\/p>
In a class action suit filed in San Jose, California, Debra Hilton claims that Apple knew about a defect in a flex cable that controls the on-off button, but chose to stay quiet about it so as to sell more phones.<\/p>
As evidence, she points to Apple discussion forums<\/a> viewed by hundreds of thousands of visitors on which users complain of “wiggly” power buttons. Hilton also points to a fix-it video<\/a> on YouTube and comments by a self-described iPhone repairman who says the power button defect is prevalent on the iPhone 4 which went on sale in 2010.<\/p> Apple did not immediately return a request for comment.<\/p> The lawsuit claims that the defect typically arises shortly after one year at which point the warranty has expired, forcing consumers to pay $149 for repairs.<\/p> Hilton is suing under the RICO statute, a federal racketeering law that has become a vehicle for national class actions<\/a>. The lawsuit also accuses Apple of violating California’s unfair competition laws.<\/p> You can read the complaint for yourself here:<\/p>