Pennsylvania’s top law enforcement officer has announced a few recent settlements with large companies accused of engaging activity harmful to consumers.
Attorney General Josh Shapiro reached a $3 million settlement with Apple concerning battery failures and unexpected shutdowns of iPhones in 2017. Apple is accused of deliberately trying to hide the battery issues by slowing phone performance. This money will reimburse the Office of the Attorney General for legal expenses as well as for future protection and education of the public.
Shapiro also announced a settlement with Event Ticket Sales over the charging of fees after tickets were purchased as well as failure to honor refund policies. The company will make changes to its disclosure of fees and honor the refund policy for canceled events. Consumers who believe they have been impacted by this settlement should file a complaint with the Office of the Attorney General.
Finally, Pennsylvania was joined by 45 other states in the settlement of a lawsuit against The Home Depot. Pennsylvania will collect nearly $700,000 following an investigation into a 2014 data breach which exposed payment card information of about 40 million customers nationwide. Home Depot will implement data security best practices.
