A U.S. federal appeals court on Wednesday dismissed claims by Apple customers that the company misled them about iCloud storage limits.
In a unanimous 3-0 ruling, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco found that Apple’s storage offers were clear and did not deceive consumers.
The case stemmed from a complaint by Lisa Bodenburg, who claimed that her $2.99 monthly payment for 200 GB of iCloud+ storage should have been added to the free 5 GB, giving her a total of 205 GB. Instead, she received only 200 GB, which she argued was misleading.
However, Circuit Judge Milan Smith stated that Bodenburg “received exactly what Apple promised her,” clarifying that the 200 GB plan was meant as supplemental storage, not in addition to the free allotment.
Judge Smith further explained that Apple’s statements were not deceptive simply because “they may be unreasonably misunderstood by an insignificant and unrepresentative segment of consumers.”
The court compared this case to prior dismissals, including one where a customer claimed Diet Dr. Pepper implied weight loss benefits, and another involving inaccessible lip balm in a tube.
The ruling upheld a May 2024 decision by U.S. District Judge Trina Thompson.
The case was titled Bodenburg v. Apple Inc., 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, No. 24-3335.
