Find Out if You are Entitled to Settlement Money From Apple Class Action Lawsuit Involving Siri 'Recording Without Consent'

Per U.S. District Court case Lopez v. Apple Inc., if you owned or purchased a Siri enabled device and experienced an unintended Siri activation during a confidential or private communication between September 17, 2014, and December 31, 2024, you should read this notice as it may impact your legal rights.

Class Action Lawsuit against Apple Inc. related to Siri

Have you ever noticed a smart device activate without you saying the wake word?

It happens. One person filed a lawsuit against Apple Inc. after discovering that Siri recorded their private conversations without consent.

Apple Agrees to Pay Settlement in U.S. District Court Case

Here's what happened:

Apple agreed to pay out a class action settlement on Dec. 31, 2024, due to a lawsuit filed by California resident Funiko Lopez, who claimed in the lawsuit that "Siri conducted unlawful and intentional interception and recording of individuals' confidential communications with their consent and subsequent unauthorized disclosure of those communications."

The court case Lopez v. Apple Inc. states:

"Apple intentionally, willfully, and knowingly violated consumers' privacy rights, including within the sanctity of consumers' own homes where they have the greatest expectation of privacy...Plaintiffs and Class Members would not have bought their Siri Devices or would have paid less for them, if they had known Apple was intercepting, recording, disclosing, and otherwise misusing their conversations without consent or authorization."

Apple agreed to the settlement on Dec. 31, 2024, but "denies all of the allegations made in the lawsuit and denies that [they] did anything improper or unlawful."

Who is Eligible to File a Claim in the Class Action Lawsuit?

Anyone in the U.S. who owned or purchased an Apple device between September 17, 2024, and December 31, 2024, and enabled Siri during that time period is eligible to file a claim before July 2, 2025.

You would receive a notice in the mail or by email with a Claimant ID Code and Confirmation Code. You would take this information from your notice and go to this page online to submit your information.

Below is a screenshot of the Submit Claim page.

Lopez v. Apple Inc. Submit Claim page

Additional Details from Lopez v. Apple Inc. Class Action Lawsuit

The official website of the class action lawsuit states:

• A settlement has been reached with Apple Inc. (“Apple”) in a class action lawsuit brought on behalf of current or former owners or purchasers of a Siri-enabled iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, MacBook, iMac, HomePod, iPod touch, or Apple TV (“Siri Device/Devices”) whose confidential or private communications were allegedly obtained by Apple and/or shared with third parties as a result of an unintended Siri activation.  Apple denies all of the allegations made in the lawsuit and denies that Apple did anything improper or unlawful.
• The Settlement provides for a $95 million fund for payments to Settlement Class Members who are individual current or former owners or purchasers of a Siri Device, who reside in the United States or its territories, and whose confidential communications were obtained by Apple and/or were shared with third parties as a result of an unintended Siri activation.  The Settlement Class excludes Apple; any entity in which Apple has a controlling interest; Apple’s directors, officers, and employees; Apple’s legal representatives, successors, and assigns.  Also excluded from the Settlement Class are all judicial officers assigned to this case as well as their staff and immediate families.  The Class Period is September 17, 2014 to December 31, 2024. 
• If you believe you are a Settlement Class Member, you must submit a valid Claim Form to get a payment from the Settlement. Settlement Class Members may submit claims for up to five Siri Devices on which they claim to have experienced an unintended Siri activation during a conversation intended to be confidential or private.  Settlement Class Members who submit valid claims shall receive a pro rata portion of the Net Settlement Amount for a Class Payment of up to a cap of $20 per Siri Device. The amount available to Settlement Class Members will increase or decrease pro rata depending on the total number of valid claims submitted, and Siri Devices claimed.   Depending on the total number of valid claims, this Plan of Allocation is subject to modification by agreement of the Parties without further notice to Settlement Class Members, provided any such modification is approved by the Court. The final amount will not be known until all claims are evaluated.  Please see the information in the Notice concerning payments.
• If you received an email or postcard with a Claim Identification Code and a Confirmation Code notifying you about the Settlement, use these codes when making a claim.   If you did not receive an email or postcard about the Settlement and don’t have these codes but believe you are a member of the Settlement Class, you may still make a claim by going to the Submit a Claim page to make a claim and following the instruction on how to submit a Claim Form.
• You can also opt out of or object to the Settlement.

Johnson & Johnson Aveeno Neutrogena Class Action Lawsuit Settlement Awards $1.75 Million

 

Aveeno Neutrogena aerosol sunscreen spray

Large consumer brand Johnson & Johnson has agreed to pay out $1.75 million in vouchers as a result of a class action settlement from claims that Neutrogena and Aveeno aerosol sunscreen spray products were contaminated with a cancer ingredient (Benzene), known as carcinogens.

If you purchased certain Aveeno or Neutrogena sunscreen products between May 26, 2015 and April 8, 2022, you are entitled to participate in this class action settlement lawsuit.

Neutrogena Beach Defense Aerosol spray (pictured without oxybenzone)

Johnson & Johnson Aveeno Neutrogena Aerosol Spray Containing Benzene

The products containing Benzene were:

• Aveeno Baby Continuous Protection Sensitive Skin Sunscreen Lotion
• Aveeno Protect + Refresh Aerosol Sunscreen
• Neutrogena Beach Defense Aerosol Sunscreen
• Neutrogena Cool Dry Sport Aerosol Sunscreen
• Neutrogena Invisible Daily Defense Aerosol Sunscreen
• Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Water Resistant Sunscreen Lotion
• Neutrogena Sheer Zinc Dry-Touch Face Sunscreen Lotion

If you used these Johnson & Johnson Aveeno Neutrogena aerosol sunscreen spray products between May 26, 2015, and April 8, 2022, you are eligible to participate in this class action settlement lawsuit. If you have these products in your home that were purchased between these dates, stop using them immediately! They have been found to contain Benzene carcinogens that cause cancer.

Johnson & Johnson Aveeno Neutrogena Voluntary Product Recall in July 2021

In July 2021, Johnson & Johnson issued a recall of aerosol sunscreen spray products of the brands listed above after third-party testing found that the cancer ingredient, Benzene was present. Johnson & Johnson admitted on their website that these products may not be safe for use. Benzene is known to cause leukemia and lymphoma, which are blood-related cancers. 

Consumers that used these products understood that they were put at risk of getting these blood cancers by Johnson & Johnson's products marketed under the brands, Aveeno and Neutrogena. Consumers took legal action against the company, as they rightfully believed that it was dangerous for Johnson & Johnson to sell contaminated aerosol spray sunscreen products.

If you want to participate in this settlement and receive benefits, you must submit a valid claim form by the deadline: July 7, 2022. 

The final approval hearing for this settlement is currently scheduled for: August 12, 2022.

The website to file a claim is: SunProductSettlement.com

Johnson & Johnson Public Recall Statement

On July 14, 2021, Johnson & Johnson released a statement regarding benzene found in Aveeno and Neutrogena aerosol spray sunscreens.

According to their own admission on their website:

"Benzene is classified as a human carcinogen, a substance that could potentially cause cancer depending on the level and extent of exposure. Benzene is ubiquitous in the environment. Humans around the world have daily exposure indoors and outdoors from multiple sources. Benzene can be absorbed, to varying degrees by inhalation, through the skin, and orally. Based on exposure modeling and the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) framework, daily exposure to benzene in these aerosol sunscreen products at the levels detected in our testing would not be expected to cause adverse health consequences. Out of an abundance of caution, we are recalling all lots of these specific aerosol sunscreen products."

The intelligent consumer may read this and ask: Did Johnson & Johnson test and market these products with the knowledge that benzene was present?

Have you used these products?

If you have used or have been in contact with a person that used these aerosol spray sunscreen products and have experienced an adverse reaction, you are encouraged to report your event to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) at this website:

www.fda.gov/medwatch/report.htm

Click the red button that says, "Report a Problem."

FDA Reporting website

Is Lawsuit Settlement Income Taxable?

Is Lawsuit Settlement Income taxable?

The IRS considers lawsuit settlement income taxable.Taxable? Personal injury settlements are the exception to this. If you specifically receive a personal injury settlement, then the money is not taxable.

Sources:

Johnson & Johson website. "Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc. Issues Voluntary Recall of Specific Neutrogena and Aveeno Aerosol Sunscreen Products Due to the Presence of Benzene." 14 July 2021.