Apple AirTag Stalking Lawsuits Consolidated in Northern District of California

Federal judges rejected Apple’s argument that the individual incidents were too varied for them to benefit from centralization.

Nearly 30 Apple AirTag stalking lawsuits alleging the Bluetooth tracking devices made it easier for stalkers to secretly monitor victims by hiding them in cars, purses and other personal belongings have been transferred to the Northern District of California for coordinated discovery and pretrial proceedings.

The complaints, mostly filed by women across the country, allege that Apple designed and sold AirTags without adequate safeguards, despite repeated warnings that the devices could be used for stalking. Before their release, technology experts and domestic violence organizations warned that the trackers could be hidden in personal belongings to secretly monitor victims and questioned whether Apple’s advertised anti-stalking features would provide meaningful protection.

Despite those concerns, Apple launched the AirTag in April 2021. Individuals allege they were subsequently stalked, harassed and, in some cases, assaulted by people who secretly used the devices to track their movements.

The lawsuits claim Apple’s safety alerts often came too late, allowing stalkers to monitor victims for extended periods before they were notified. Some claims even allege Apple failed to help them locate hidden AirTags, even after learning they were being stalked.

According to the complaints, Apple received more than 40,000 reports of AirTag stalking between 2021 and 2024, averaging roughly 1,000 per month. The lawsuits raise questions about the effectiveness of Apple’s tracking alerts, the availability of safer designs and the company’s response to reported stalking incidents.

Apple AirTag MDL

Last month, plaintiffs involved in the Apple AirTag litigation filed a petition with the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) calling for the consolidation of all federal complaints in the District of Arizona. Apple opposed centralization, claiming there were too many individual factors in each case for consolidation to increase efficiency.

Following oral arguments held late last month, the JPML issued a transfer order (PDF) on October 2, creating an Apple AirTag stalking lawsuit multidistrict litigation (MDL) in the Northern District of California before U.S. District Judge Noël Wise. The panel noted that they did not believe the differences in individual cases would negate the benefits of consolidation. Apple is headquartered in the district.

The JPML cited the thousands of Uber driver sexual assault lawsuits, also consolidated in the Northern District of California, saying the conditions were similar, in that each alleged victim suffered various kinds of sexual assaults under a wide variety of circumstances.

“Each plaintiff alleges that someone used an AirTag to stalk them, that Apple designed the AirTag with insufficient safety features to prevent its use for stalking, and that they suffered serious harm because of the stalking. The AirTag’s design and whether alternative designs were available will be central questions in each action here, just as Uber’s policies and procedures were a core issue in the actions we centralized in Uber.”

– U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation

When the petition was first filed, there were 17 Apple AirTag stalking lawsuits filed across 13 different federal districts. Since then, another 12 have been filed in 10 different districts, according to the order. The panel noted that with tens of thousands of reports brought against Apple over AirTag stalking events, that number was likely to grow much larger in the coming weeks and months.

Now that the claims are consolidated, Judge Wise will lead the litigation through coordinated discovery and other pretrial proceedings, seeking to help those involved reach a potential settlement agreement. She is likely to order the parties to prepare a series of bellwether trials that would provide a chance to see how juries are likely to weigh evidence and testimony which are core elements of most AirTag lawsuits.

The bellwether trial outcomes won’t be binding on other claims, but could be determinative in helping resolve the litigation. If not, Judge Wise would likely remand the cases back to the original federal courts where they came from. There, the cases would be prepared for individual trials.

Apple AirTag Lawyers

As the number of claims continues to grow, Apple AirTag lawyers are reviewing potential cases nationwide involving allegations that the tracking devices were misused for:

• Stalking
• Harassment
• Domestic violence
• Other criminal activity

These potential claims are being pursued on a contingency fee basis, meaning there are no upfront legal fees or expenses, and attorneys are paid only if they recover compensation for the individual.

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