MacBook Pro Owners With Faulty Butterfly Keyboards Now Receiving Emails About $50 Million Lawsuit Settlement

Back in July, Apple agreed to pay $50 million to settle a class-action lawsuit over the faulty butterfly keyboards that were used in MacBook machines between 2015 and 2019, and now emails about the settlement are going out to MacBook Pro owners eligible for a payment.

macbook pro butterfly keyboard

Dear MacBook Owner,

You are receiving this email because you previously reached out to our firm regarding your MacBook laptop. On November 28, 2022, the Court granted preliminary approval of $50 million nationwide settlement that would benefit MacBook purchasers who had their "Butterfly" keyboard repaired. You can find more information about the settlement, eligibility, the approval process, and your options at www.KeyboardSettlement.com.

MacBook Pro owners who had at least two topcase replacements from Apple within four years of purchase are considered Group 1 Settlement Class Members and will be receiving an automatic payment as well as an email about the settlement.

MacBook Pro owners who had a single topcase replacement will need to submit a claim form to get compensation, and they are considered Group 2 Settlement Class Members. Those who had a keycap replacement can also submit a claim form to get a small settlement as part of the third group of Settlement Class Members.

Monetary awards will be based on the number of repairs required, with amounts up to $395 provided to those who had two or more topcase replacements. Mac owners who fall in to this category will be receiving their class notices this month. Claims will be accepted through March 6, 2023, and a final approval hearing will take place on March 16, 2023.

The lawsuit dates back to 2018, when a group of customers sued Apple over the butterfly keyboard, claiming that the company concealed the defect from consumers in order to continue to sell Macs.

Butterfly keyboards were used in Macs between 2015 and 2019, and while Apple iterated on the design several times to try to improve durability, a design flaw made the butterfly mechanism prone to failure. Throughout those four years, thousands of customers had problems with repeating keys, sticky keys, and full keyboard failures.

Apple launched a keyboard repair program in June 2018, covering MacBook, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air models for four years after purchase. Apple was only replacing butterfly keyboards with another butterfly keyboard, so there was no real fix.

Apple ultimately did away with the butterfly mechanism and swapped back to a scissor switch mechanism, and today, all Macs use a scissor switch keyboard that is much more durable and able to stand up to small crumbs and dust.

Top Rated Comments

dohspc Avatar
17 months ago
Doesn’t seem to cover people who have one of these but have never had a replacement! I want my check for $14.32 like everyone else!
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
project_2501 Avatar
17 months ago
Shame this doesn't benefit anyone outside the US. We suffered from the butterfly keyboard in the UK too - I had to take Apple to the Small Claims Court here after a very long and protracted painful support experience - Kafkaesque hell.

I also remember the usual Apple cultists here belittling reports of issues, denying there was a problem.

I'm now using the 2021 MBP but the keys are not as nice as the classic 2015 - but at least they work.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
RakEgg Avatar
17 months ago
In Australia under our Consumer Laws you get your whole purchase price back say within 2-3 years for a 'major failure' of an item as expensive as a MacBook Pro. In the USA greedy lawyers take most of what the consumer should receive.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sorgo † Avatar
17 months ago
Butterfly keyboard = crime against humanity. #NeverForget
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple_Robert Avatar
17 months ago

Like, I don’t want to victim blame or anything but if you purchased anything but the 2016 MacBook before this keyboard became a known issue, I feel like that’s kind of on you at that point.

I avoided these models entirely because of both the keyboard and Touch Bar and went with a ThinkPad instead. I only recently purchased a MacBook again (first in 7 years) getting the 16” Pro largely because they finally ditched the butterfly keyboard.
Unless one is a hardcore Apple nerd, the chances of one previously knowing about a problem before purchase would be slim to none.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Razorpit Avatar
17 months ago
I have one, I'm more upset about it no longer receiving OS updates than anything else... ?
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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