Class Action Lawsuit over Apple MB and MBP Displays?

[pbmikez]

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/251352/

It's been a long standing issue and I'm glad someone else is taking initiative. I gave up on this a while ago but hopefully something good comes out of it this time.

 

[chaser1522]

oh my god

this is the dumbest thing I have ever heard. How many people out there seriously looked at the specs THAT close when they bought a mac?> you buy a mac because its a mac not because it has the power to blind you after an hour of use. This is retarded, if you didn't like the screen or you feel that screwed then you should have returned your computer and got something else. I love my mac book pro and would never buy anything else ever again. I've had a 15" apple for almost 2 years and have never lost one bit of information or had it crash ever. So instead of bitching about apple, why don't you go develope your own screens since you think you can do a better job?

 

[pieman02]

I'm wlling to bet that you got your MacBook the moment it came out, right? Well, as with any other manufactured item on the planet (cars, toasters, computers), first releases are usually glitchy, and sadly, you got one.

I find it hard to believe, near impossible in fact, that you've had all those problems and Apple refused to fix or replace it. Are you sure you're not embellishing just a bit?

No kidding, I bought mine the day they came out, and every problem Ive had Apple has fixed, and yes my display seems to be lit SLIGHTLY unevenly, but its because the goddamn thing goes so bright, and I can only tell when I have a solid color on the screen. Now for those that has bought a MacBook Pro and had issues with a screen like that I can understand how pissed they can be because I have seen the difference a display can make in the colour and quality of a photo...

 

[milozauckerman]

The defenses of Apple's shortcomings always amuse me. They seem to come in two forms:

1. "Just quit your bellyaching./Everyone's else's products suck too./Apple puts out a great product./Whiners..."

2. "MY Apple works fine, I don't know what kind of problems you could possibly have, clearly there are no issues at all."

I encountered it with the high-pitched whine of my MBP CD, got the run around from a Genius employee, burned my sjobs@apple.com e-mail... and wound up with a Mac Pro that has been, in all honesty, the best Apple product I've had yet. Better than Quicksilver, better than the G5 tower, better than my iBook and certainly better than that bloody MBP.

The responses back then to what was obviously a real problem (as later developments bore out) was that those of us who had the issue were imagining it, demanding too much, etc.

Now we hear that those upset about their laptop display are imagining it, demanding too much, etc..

Damn right I'm demanding a lot. I pay a premium for Apple products (and service, supposedly), I expect the thing to work and work right or to be fixed post-haste. I suspect others feel the same. Apple has us trapped behind the eight-ball - if you don't want to suffer through Vista, you've got to pay more for a product that rarely competes in quality or price point with, say, a Lenovo Thinkpad.

But Apple products are pretty, so I guess that counts for something, right?

A new slogan, might be applicable for some Apple fans. "Apple: lie back and think of Steve."

 

[anubis]

Give me a freakin break. What it comes down to is this:

NO ONE PUT A GUN TO YOUR HEAD AND FORCED YOU TO BUY A MAC LAPTOP! If you ordered a MBP and didn't like the screen, you should have RETURNED IT and gotten your money back. Seriously, all of you people in here are either whining like you have a RIGHT to own a mac laptop or that you have no other choice. If the screen problem is that big of a deal to you, get rid of the MBP and buy a dell. If the ability to use OS X is more important than having a perfect screen, then I guess the screen problem isn't such a big deal, is it?

If you liked the screen color quality to start with and are only now finding out that it's only "psedu-millions-of-colors", you still shouldn't compalin if you never noticed it or had any problems with it before.

The funniest posts in this whole thread are from the people who are like "I bought three MBPs this year and they all have bad screens." Gee, don't you think after the first MBP you would have BOUGHT SOMETHING ELSE IF ALL OF THE SCREENS WERE BAD? You don't buy something that you realize is bad out-of-the-box and then buy more of them, and then complain to apple that the quality isn't good. If the quality isn't good, you should have immediately returned it and gotten your money back. If you didn't do that, then apparently the screen problem isn't as bad as you are making out to be, is it?

You don't buy a BMW, and then 4 months later take it back to the dealership and complain that you wish it had 10-way adjustable seats instead of 8-way, and demand your money back on the car. If you test drove it and liked it enough to buy it, that's it. You aren't allowed to complain about it later on after you get buyer's remorse. If it's that big of a deal to you, first you suck it up and blame yourself for not first thoroughly considering whether or not its shortcomings are a big deal to you, and then you either live with the shortcomings and purchase it or you move on to something else that does live up to your expectations. You don't start a class-action lawsuit.

And at any rate, don't any of you whiners even have a clue what a class-action lawsuit award consists of in America? The lawyers who brought the case will get $10 million each, and unless you write to the court to exclude yourself from the class, you will get the class-award which will most likely consist of a $15 coupon to the apple store on any purchase of $150 or more (or something like that) while simulatneously waiving your right to ever complain or sue apple over the screen ever again.

 

[blipoids]

Jesus allmighty...
You people are on crack or smth ? You so concerned of bashing everyone in the head with your ego that you're missing out on the whole point and the principle of the thing.

It's not about : "owww, gooow aheeead annnd buuuy anoooother oneee!". It's about facts! And value!

If there are BETTER display panels out there (as they were for a friggin' long time - because everyone complains how old imacs powerbooks etc. seemed to be equiped with superior screens) why aren't they used ? Are they more expensive ??? Think again! Cheaper models by other manufacturers have been reported to use better displays - as older models by apple. So what happens then? Isn't this disrespectful towards a long-time faithful community AND costumers ?

What if tommorow the only producer left of portables and desktop computing system would be apple - would you feel content having no option? And consciouscly PAY with your hard earned money for one? (this is actually the case here - many of apples costumers are forced to buy one of their systems because of work related constraints - so please then, what do you suggest as an alternative?).
I've yet to hear somebody ask for a perfect screen - what i'm hearing is only humble request for a DECENT screen, comparable to what other manufacturers offer.

 

[iW00t]

Speak for yourself

This is retarded, if you didn't like the screen or you feel that screwed then you should have returned your computer

... and lose 10% due to restock fees...

and got something else. I love my mac book pro and would never buy anything else ever again. I've had a 15" apple for almost 2 years and have never lost one bit of information or had it crash ever. So instead of bitching about apple, why don't you go develope your own screens since you think you can do a better job?

What something else? A PC? What PC runs OS X?

I am not talking about the hardware here, why does the software have to be hampered by crappy hardware?

You got a Macbook and a 15" Apple from 2 years ago (aka 15" Powerbook which isn't affected by the grain NOR the horizontal lines issue) so you are in no position to bitch.

 

[iW00t]

Give me a freakin break. What it comes down to is this:

NO ONE PUT A GUN TO YOUR HEAD AND FORCED YOU TO BUY A MAC LAPTOP! If you ordered a MBP and didn't like the screen, you should have RETURNED IT and gotten your money back.

Give you a freaking break?

You can freaking go get a life, Apple does not need people like you to defend them for free. Lol, think about that!

As for nobody putting a gun to our heads and forcing us to buy a Mac laptop, hey, nobody put a gun to your head and forced you to get a job. In fact can you name a single thing in your pathetic life that is done with a gun to your head?

What a great argument you've made. What if my work relies on OS X? Oh noes, I should have stuck with the industry standard and used Windows instead. Shame on me for being a Mac user!

 

[anubis]

Gather around, kiddies. I'm going to teach all of you a lesson about America.

America has what we call a "free market" system, wherein companies are free to produce whatever they feel like in order to try to gain profit. If the product has poor quality and is unwanted, no one buys it and the company does not make a profit. If the product IS wanted and they sell a million units, the company makes profit and continues to make the product.

If you don't like what apple produces, DON'T BUY IT. Vote with your pocketbook. Either abstain from buying a MBP or buy something else. Don't you EVEN pretend like you had no choice or that you were forced into buying a MBP. When apple loses enough sales because the screen has poor quality, they will be forced to upgrade it. However, if MBPs continue to sell strongly, then they have every right to keep the screen the way it is.

I'm not buying this "apple is the only company that makes OS X laptops so I have no choice." That is exactly like saying "BMW is the only company that makes BMW cars, so if I only drive BMWs and their quality starts to go down, what other choice do I have but to sue them to force them to build better quality cars?" That would be the stupidest bullsh*t I've ever heard of. You don't force a company that produces substandard products to improve their quality buy suing them. You force them to improve their quality by NOT BUYING THEIR PRODUCT. All of you people in here feel like you have some sense of entitlement or right just because you spent more on the MBP than on comparable laptops or that you NEED to use apple products. Bullsh*t. If Kia sold cars that were twice as expensive as BMWs, and you bought a Kia only to find out that they suck compared to BMWs, whose fault is that? Yours. You don't then sue Kia just because they charged you a lot. You would buy a BMW instead. Kia would then either be forced to lower their price, product a better quality product, or go out of business. This is out free markets work.

So everybody in here just needs to quit their whining and stop blaming everyone but themselves for not fully evaluating the quality of the MBP before they idiotically spent 3 grand on one.

 

[Nuc]

I haven't read through all of the comments but I totally agree that my MBP display is not very good. It's bright around the edges of the display and it drives me nuts! So I agree that Apple should use better quality displays! And no not everyone is a drama queen!

Nuc

 

[iW00t]

Gather around, kiddies. I'm going to teach all of you a lesson about America.

America has what we call a "free market" system, wherein companies are free to produce whatever they feel like in order to try to gain profit. If the product has poor quality and is unwanted, no one buys it and the company does not make a profit. If the product IS wanted and they sell a million units, the company makes profit and continues to make the product.

If you don't like what apple produces, DON'T BUY IT. Vote with your pocketbook. Either abstain from buying a MBP or buy something else. Don't you EVEN pretend like you had no choice or that you were forced into buying a MBP. When apple loses enough sales because the screen has poor quality, they will be forced to upgrade it. However, if MBPs continue to sell strongly, then they have every right to keep the screen the way it is.

I'm not buying this "apple is the only company that makes OS X laptops so I have no choice." That is exactly like saying "BMW is the only company that makes BMW cars, so if I only drive BMWs and their quality starts to go down, what other choice do I have but to sue them to force them to build better quality cars?" That would be the stupidest bullsh*t I've ever heard of. You don't force a company that produces substandard products to improve their quality buy suing them. You force them to improve their quality by NOT BUYING THEIR PRODUCT. All of you people in here feel like you have some sense of entitlement or right just because you spent more on the MBP than on comparable laptops or that you NEED to use apple products. Bullsh*t. If Kia sold cars that were twice as expensive as BMWs, and you bought a Kia only to find out that they suck compared to BMWs, whose fault is that? Yours. You don't then sue Kia just because they charged you a lot. You would buy a BMW instead. Kia would then either be forced to lower their price, product a better quality product, or go out of business. This is out free markets work.

So everybody in here just needs to quit their whining and stop blaming everyone but themselves for not fully evaluating the quality of the MBP before they idiotically spent 3 grand on one.

Oh it is ok. There is also this thing called "free speech" in America. Even if I explicitly buy a MBP after confirming with the Applecentre that i will be getting a unit that has a screen as grainy and with as tinted a viewing angle as the one shown on demo in writing, and then filing a lawsuit again Apple, it is still perfectly within my rights.

Who are you to stop people from exercising their free speech? There is such a thing as free market, sure, now here comes the 2nd part of the equation, negative publicity.

If there is only free market where corporations can sell what they want but all avenues for negative discussions are suppressed it doesn't make much point doesn't it?

I'm not buying this "apple is the only company that makes OS X laptops so I have no choice." That is exactly like saying "BMW is the only company that makes BMW cars, so if I only drive BMWs and their quality starts to go down, what other choice do I have but to sue them to force them to build better quality cars?" That would be the stupidest bullsh*t I've ever heard of.

Is the point stupid, or is the one who failed to understand it stupid?

A better analogy would be "All the petrol pumps 50 miles from my place sells diesel. I need a diesel powered car, but the only company that makes it (in this example let's say only BMW makes it) has been turning out crap quality products while still trying to advertise and pass them off as something else, it says I will get the equivalent of 4 point surround sound when in reality BMW uses 3 speakers and some gizmos to make that 'effect', I guess the only option for me is to sue them". Alternatively one can just suck it up and buy a car that is petrol driven, and drive 50 miles every day to refuel.

That is exactly the situation for users who committed themselves to the OS X platform, and invested sufficiently on software (and respective software companies) that supports the platform. Without all of these who gives two hoots about Apple? It will be a joke with its OS X and iLife suite and little beyond that.

Well, there is such a thing as a fair legal system in the America, you have no cause to worry for Apple. If they are indeed as blameless as you put them to be they will win. What are you, an Apple shareholder?

 

[anubis]

hey, nobody put a gun to your head and forced you to get a job.

You're right. No one put a gun to my head and forced me to get a job. I was offered several good jobs, but decided to take a specific job because it was the only one close enough to my girlfriend. After a few months, I decided that they weren't paying me enough so I sued them. After all, I DIDN'T HAVE A CHOICE. I HAD to take that job - how else was I supposed to stay close to my girlfriend? Even though I knew perfectly well how much they were going to be paying me before I started the job.

I can sit here and rip apart all of you whiners' logic all day long. But I've got better things to do. Good luck, everyone. I hope your $15 off coupon is worth it when the screen gets worse but you can't do anything about it because you are part of a class-action settlement where to agreed to take a coupon in exchange for releasing apple of all liability for the quality of your screen.

 

[blipoids]

Yeah and maybe cars should still be built with simple glass screens then, huh ? Let's leave out the reinforcement layer as it only add safety, and a little bit of comfort but weighs much on profit.

 

[iW00t]

You're right. No one put a gun to my head and forced me to get a job. I was offered several good jobs, but decided to take a specific job because it was the only one close enough to my girlfriend. After a few months, I decided that they weren't paying me enough so I sued them. After all, I DIDN'T HAVE A CHOICE. I HAD to take that job - how else was I supposed to stay close to my girlfriend? Even though I knew perfectly well how much they were going to be paying me before I started the job.

Wrong analogy, the correct analogy would be you not getting what you are contractually supposed to receive.

So you signed the employment contract, and all of a sudden you realise:
1) the company is not paying you what it is supposed to (16 mil colours vs 262K colours).
2) the company suddenly wants you to relocate to an office in a different part of the city.

And when you try to back out of the deal...
3) they point to a clause in the contract that states you need to give 6 months notice or they have the right to compensation equivalent to 6 months of your salary (think of it as the 10% restocking fees).

Ultimately, no matter how you try to twist and turn it you cannot deny that the MBP has a screen that is way inferior than the PB and pretty much a significant portion of the PC industry. It is just not as good as Apple would have you believe it is.

 

[blipoids]

iWOOt > what you say makes perfect sense!
PS: I am also shocked about that story in your signature - that is to convey a feeling about justice in america!

 

[AwesomeWithAQ]

What?

Absolutely true. But on one hand needing two pixels to get the same colour range as one must compromise quality. I think that's the point he's trying to make.

That didn't make sense. Re-read that post. Everyone uses the red/green/blue pixels.

 

[iW00t]

iWOOt > what you say makes perfect sense!
PS: I am also shocked about that story in your signature - that is to convey a feeling about justice in america!

That is more of a "Think of the children" mania that is going on in the states. If the graininess on the LCDs somehow resemble a nude picture of a child I am sure Steve Jobs will receive the death penalty tomorrow for criminal negligence and "child abuse"

 

[blipoids]

Oh Lord!

 

[sanford]

Hey came across this, and thought it is interesting and would love to see how this turns out. For one, I am sure many of us have had the same problems with our displays.

http://www.engadget.com/2007/05/18/apple-macbook-macbook-pro-screens-subject-of-class-action-lawsu/

Huh. Unh? So if my MacBook display is of poor enough quality to warrant a lawsuit, what does this say for all the Windows laptops on the market? My MacBook display is great. It's not an actual perfect representation of the real world. Why do you think filmmakers still shoot on real film -- which isn't perfect either, but by its different process the colors are more "true to life"; of course there are different grains and development processes to achieve un-lifelike effects in film, too.

Anyway, I presume somewhere in the 195 replies to this post someone has explained exactly what is a class action lawsuit? Simply put, this is where a litigation firm goes out and collects a bunch of people -- hundreds, thousands, millions -- names a handful of primary plaintiffs, and in behalf of all of them together, the class, sues a company for damages. The company often settles whether there is a problem or not, to avoid a protracted, outrageously expensive legal battle. You, the consumer, get a two dollar credit you may use toward the company's products. The litigation firm gets 378 million dollars cash plus reimbursement of all expenses incurred in bringing the suit.

You get it?

 

[The Monkey]

It always amazes me how many of you leap to the defense of corporations and instead buy into the "it's the damn lawyers" nonsense.

 

[sanford]

That is more of a "Think of the children" mania that is going on in the states. If the graininess on the LCDs somehow resemble a nude picture of a child I am sure Steve Jobs will receive the death penalty tomorrow for criminal negligence and "child abuse"

That story is horrifying. One, on it's face, it's ridiculous. I believe she's entirely innocent. But who cares if she's not. If a sub teacher in a classroom is intentionally using a computer to surf the Internet for pornography -- no one has alleged it was illegal pornography; just that it was pornography -- fire her, never use her in you school system again, and flag her name for background checks in the state's education system. Because, you know, she was probably she bored and stupid, but there could be some risk there. But you fire her, you don't imprison her. None of those kids were harmed by what they saw, main reason being they've *seen it before* on their own home computers.

I have three kids, a girl and two boys, and I can guarantee you, really I can, that none of them would be permanently scarred, or even temporarily scarred for a period lasting longer than one second, from seeing some porn on the Internet. I'm against pornography for ethical reasons -- mainly having to do with abuse of women, attendant drug abuse in the industry, and the wholesale degradation of human sexuality -- and we forbid the children old enough to use the computer from accessing such things, but it's not going to warp them if they just glance at it, or seek it out once or twice from curiosity. They're not going to develop some depraved porn addiction.

Oh my stars. This is just crazy. These prosecutors are crazy. Scary crazy. It's worse for society to be a scary crazy person that it is to be an occasional consumer of legal pornography.

 

[sanford]

It always amazes me how many of you leap to the defense of corporations and instead buy into the "it's the damn lawyers" nonsense.

In the case of most class actions of this type, it is the damn lawyers. This isn't some suit brought on behalf of a bunch of medical patients harmed by the negligence and lying of, say, a pharmaceutical company reckless in the conduct of their trials, pushing an unsafe drug out on the market to meet quarterly profit predictions. The outcome of said suit being an improved quality of life or financial assistance for living a better life after being injured by proper, prescribed use of this medication.

This is an imperfect laptop screen that no one really claimed was perfect, for which the damn lawyers will make a damn lots of money while the consumers named and unnamed in the suit will get virtually nothing. It's the damn lawyers.

And if you're one of the damn lawyers who supports this kind of suit under these circumstances, you're a big part of the problem. You drive up consumer costs while lining your pockets with compensation that should have gone to the so-called "injured" consumers. You're not practicing law, you're running a profit-making confidence scheme that exists solely to earn you overwhelming profits without consideration of things like, oh say, ethics or the integrity of the civil justice system.

 

[SmokyD]

in defence of whiners everywhere

I think what some people may be missing here is that not everyone has the same screens with their MBPs. The 15 and 17 inch models each use two different panels (by Au Optronics and Samsung), and each individual computer varies in terms of how well the screens are engineered into the laptops themselves.

Some people (many, probably) simply got the short end of the stick with their particular screens, in terms of back-lighting, soft corners, graininess, etc. I've seen about 50 different MBPs in the last 6 months, having been to 7 different stores (don't ask), and many of them had obvious lighting problems, and some were pretty much duds. But many were also pretty good, with fairly even lighting, corners, and no graininess at all.

However, many people order their computers online through the excellent Apple store without feeling the need to go into a retail outlet, especially if there isn't a store nearby. And if you've owned an Apple laptop before, it would be likely that you would have approached your online purchase with confidence, as in most cases Apple has produced very solid laptops in the past.

Here is where the false advertising comes in. People who buy MBPs are looking for top quality and are willing to pay for it. Judging from previous Powerbooks (which used 8 bit panels) and from the claims on the website about millions of colors and unsurpassed quality, it stands to reason that many people took that at face value and thought they were going to get something that they didn't actually get.

Simply put, Apple has falsely advertised their laptop screens. Yes, they can claim millions of colors with dithering, etc, but it's disingenuous and misleading nonetheless. If you factor in the other screen issues (which only some will have) then it's pretty obvious why some people are going to be upset.

Returning the MBP (or exchanging for another) consumes a lot of time and effort, and Apple has to agree to this as well. I'm sure many have been able to resolve their issues by getting refunds or exchanges, but not everyone. I myself exchanged my first 17" MBP (with a Samsung LC60 panel) for a new one with an AU Optronics LC62 panel. The first one was fine but had two dead pixels and dark corners. The second had no dead pixels but really horrible and uneven back-lighting.

What did I do? Well, the laptop was perfectly fine in every other way so I decided to lump it and just keep it. Since I spend the majority of my time at home, I bought a Dell 2407 WFP monitor for use at home, where I do most (but not all) of my work.

That was an expensive solution, but I simply didn't have the time or energy to fight it any more. But I wouldn't expect others to do the same if they aren't happy with their laptops. I wouldn't expect them to lump it just because I did.

I applaud the people behind the class action suit. I doubt they or anyone else is actually expecting to win any money out of this. They are spending their time and money and probably won't get anything (except a lot of chastisement, it seems) in return.

Who wins? The lawyers, of course. But not just them. Future Apple customers win too, because a lawsuit like this and threads like these can help people educate themselves about precisely what they are getting when they shop with Apple. And maybe, just maybe, Apple will stop being so vague (for people like me who like to see exact technical specifications rather than feel-good hand waving) and start being accurate and honest. They've been fudging this one for far too long, and I thank someone for having the gumption to call them on it.

Apple, not all of your customers are fanbois or retards. If you want to keep us picky (i.e. intelligent) customers, give us the tools to make accurate decisions when researching your products. In this case, the screen model number, manufacturer, and technical specifications should have been included on your website. Neither your Geniuses nor your Customer Service nor your Applecare engineers were able (or willing) to tell me who made my computer screen and what the actual specs were.

Other MacRumors members actually had to boot into Windows and run diagnostic software to extract this information, which had to be cross-referenced to the manufacturer's webiste.

Hardly upfront if you ask me.

Bravo to those who've had the courage to stand up for themselves. They are exercising their rights, a point sorely missed by the naysayers.

 

[mshimer5]

Ok, to defend myself and probably many other 'naysayers':

1. I am not defending Apple out of blind faith. I just am sick and tired of litigation happy America. It does more harm than good in almost all cases. Look at what has happened to the Education system here, as well as our health care system. I agree, that while many lawsuits are just and well deserved, most are not.

2. I agree that there is a very good possibility that the displays being shipped are sub par. Anyone who thinks everyone is either being too picky or imagining things are kidding themselves. This would not have become such a big issue if it was just over personal preference. However, a poor product is in no way deserving of a lawsuit. It sucks, it is frustrating, but that is life, unfortunately.

3. I also agree that this news should be spread through the CORRECT channels. If Apple's quality is deteriorating than this needs to be known. This does not mean you go out and sue some one. This is quickly becoming the American way. Something you don't like, sue them! That is horrible and will lead to a HUGE crippling effect over multiple industries. While this may benefit some in the short term, it will harm many more in the long run.

That's about all I can think of right now. The bottom line is I do feel for all those effected by this; and I encourage you to speak out. But don't applaud a frivolous lawsuit. This only hinders our justice system as well as continues the downward spiral of this generation of litigation happy Americans. It really is sad.

Also, many of you say that it is their right to sue: well, yes it is their right, but that doesn't mean you should do it. I have many rights that I don't constantly act out. Freedom of speech doesn't mean you should always speak out, freedom to own a gun doesn't mean everyone should go out and buy a gun, and the freedom to sue doesn't mean that we should all go around suing everyone who pisses us off.

 

[The Monkey]

In the case of most class actions of this type, it is the damn lawyers. This isn't some suit brought on behalf of a bunch of medical patients harmed by the negligence and lying of, say, a pharmaceutical company reckless in the conduct of their trials, pushing an unsafe drug out on the market to meet quarterly profit predictions. The outcome of said suit being an improved quality of life or financial assistance for living a better life after being injured by proper, prescribed use of this medication.

This is an imperfect laptop screen that no one really claimed was perfect, for which the damn lawyers will make a damn lots of money while the consumers named and unnamed in the suit will get virtually nothing. It's the damn lawyers.

And if you're one of the damn lawyers who supports this kind of suit under these circumstances, you're a big part of the problem. You drive up consumer costs while lining your pockets with compensation that should have gone to the so-called "injured" consumers. You're not practicing law, you're running a profit-making confidence scheme that exists solely to earn you overwhelming profits without consideration of things like, oh say, ethics or the integrity of the civil justice system.

lol, you sure have an ax to grind; sounds almost like a GOP convention. I'll bet you love insurance companies, too. I'm no fan of the Plaintiffs bar, but its utility in keeping a check on corporations cannot reasonably be disputed. An while your braying about the fees earned has some merit (perhaps), it completely ignores the fundamental principle that such fee arrangements are what gives incentives to bring many, many meritorious lawsuits to begin with. That some are vexatious is just the way it goes. That some companies will settle out is the cost of doing business. But for every class action lawsuit that may drive up consumer costs (a flawed premise to begin with, IMO), there are more that result in a net benefit.