Advertisement

SKIP ADVERTISEMENT

Apple Class Action Lawsuit Is Dismissed

SAN FRANCISCO — A federal judge has dismissed a class action initiated by Apple retail workers over bag-search practices at the company’s California stores.

The ruling on Saturday by Judge William Alsup of Federal District Court in San Francisco came in a case in which employees sued to be reimbursed for the time taken by Apple to search their bags to ensure they did not steal any merchandise.

At least two Apple retail-store workers complained directly to the company’s chief executive, Tim Cook, that the technology company’s policy of checking retail employees’ bags as a security precaution was embarrassing and demeaning, according to court filings made public earlier in the case.

Lee Shalov, a lawyer representing the plaintiffs, said they were disappointed by the ruling and intended to explore all options, including a possible appeal.

An Apple spokeswoman declined to comment.

The plaintiffs in the bag-search case included more than 12,000 current and former employees at the more than 50 Apple stores in California, according to a previous ruling. Lawsuits from within Apple’s ranks are rare.

The named plaintiffs, Amanda Frlekin and Dean Pelle, said that the bag searches, intended to discourage theft, were conducted every time sales representatives left the store, including for meal breaks.

In his ruling, Judge Alsup said Apple workers could choose not to bring a bag to work, and thus would not be subjected to the delays of a search. No Apple employee filed court papers asserting a special need to bring a bag, the judge wrote.

“Rather than prohibiting employees from bringing bags and personal Apple devices into the store altogether,” Judge Alsup wrote, “Apple took a milder approach to theft prevention and offered its employees the option to bring bags and personal Apple devices into a store subject to the condition that such items must be searched when they leave the store.”

A version of this article appears in print on  , Section B, Page 5 of the New York edition with the headline: Class Action Facing Apple Is Dismissed. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

Advertisement

SKIP ADVERTISEMENT