Uber Settles Australian Lawsuit As Apple Faces Legal Challenges Over AirTags And iPhones

Uber has agreed to pay A$271.8 million (S$238.59 million) to settle a class action lawsuit filed by over 8,000 taxi and hire car owners and drivers in Australia who claimed they lost income due to Uber's entry into the market. The proposed settlement aims to put these legacy issues behind the company, as Uber had previously made significant contributions to state-level taxi compensation schemes.

In a separate case, Apple has agreed to pay $490 million to settle a lawsuit led by Norfolk County Council, which alleged that Apple's CEO, Tim Cook, defrauded shareholders by concealing lower demand for iPhones in China. The settlement, which still requires judicial approval, should prevent the case from going to trial later this year.

Meanwhile, a San Francisco judge has ruled that Apple must face a lawsuit accusing the company of negligence over potential stalking risks posed by its AirTags. The class-action suit, which includes around three dozen claims, primarily got dismissed; however, the judge denied Apple's request to have the suit thrown out based on three plaintiffs' allegations that the AirTag's safety features were substantially defective and caused their injuries when they were stalked.

Apple argues that it has introduced safety features to combat stalking attempts, such as making AirTags emit a loud sound when a certain distance from their owner and sending notifications about unknown trackers. The company also announced working on developing industry standards to proactively fight the misuse of tracking devices in collaboration with Google. Despite these measures, the lawsuit claims that AirTags have become "the weapon of choice for stalkers and abusers."