The ‘Error 53’ class action lawsuit is now officially on like Donkey Kong

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touchid

Photo: Apple

If you’ve had your iPhone bricked by Error 53, and were waiting for a class-action lawsuit to be filed… welp, now it has.

The lawsuit was filed today by Seattle-based law firm Pfau Cochran Vertetis Amala (PCVA) in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. If that name sounds familiar, it should: it’s the same law firm we reported was mulling over the possibility of filing a class-action lawsuit just two days ago. Now they’ve made good.

The suit, which can be read in its entirety here, alleges that the Error 53 furor – which essentially bricks iPhones that have their Touch ID buttons replace by unauthorized third-parties – is an example of Apple becoming drunk with power.

As is invariably true of power and control, too much of a good thing becomes problematic and, even, abusive. Apple’s Error 53 code, for which this lawsuit seeks redress, represents Apple’s control over the product gone too far. Error 53 is the result of an imbedded function within iOS, Apple’s operating system, that affects iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, and iPhone 6s Plus smartphones… The code has rendered thousands of the Affected Models completely disabled or bricked after its users updated iOS or restored the device from a backup. After spending hundreds of dollars purchasing Affected Models, the Plaintiffs here had their phone rendered useless.

PVCA’s goal from the lawsuit is to attain more than $5 million in damages in “immediate relief” to consumers, as well as eliminate Error 53 for good by allowing third-parties to replace Touch ID buttons.

The Error 53 party seems like it’s heating up. Where do you think it will go from here?

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