A $5 billion class action lawsuit against Qualcomm, an American processor chip manufacturer, is currently pending in court. The manufacturer owns patents used in phones with the most widely used 3G, 4G, LTE, and 5G mobile technology.
That means that if you’re a cell phone user, you’ll want to pay close attention to this article to know how this lawsuit, which affects 250 million Americans, also affects you. If it affects you, you’ll also want to know how to make a claim and be rightfully compensated.
What the Lawsuit Alleges
Plaintiffs in this lawsuit, viewed as one of the single largest class action lawsuits in history, allege that Qualcomm violated U.S. state and federal antitrust laws that harmed competition and directly caused consumers to overpay for cell phones for more than a decade. In essence, the allegations imply they manipulated the pricing of their chips and licensing fees, which led to increased prices for consumers when they purchased phones containing these chips. Therefore, a $5 billion lawsuit has been filed against Qualcomm.
Cell Phones Included in the Lawsuit
The phones impacted by this lawsuit have Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) and Long Term Evolution (LTE) technologies. The top smartphone manufacturers and companies that sell these types of phones include Apple, Samsung, LG, Motorola, and ZTE. The complete list of phones are:
- Alcatel
- Apple
- Blackberry
- Coolpad
- HTC
- Huawei
- Kyocera
- Lenovo
- LG
- Microsoft
- Motorola
- Nokia
- Samsung
- Sony
- TCL
- ZTE
How To Know if You Qualify
If you live in the U.S. and purchased or paid for cell phones that have a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), CDMA (including CDMAOne and CDMA2000), and/or LTE smartphone for your personal use from February 11, 2011, or later, then you likely qualify to file a claim.
These phones may have either been purchased as part of a wireless network or as single purchases. Contracts for these phones are typically offered from some of the largest and most widely used wireless providers in the U.S., like Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint.
How To File a Claim
To qualify for participation in the class action settlement, you have to register online and follow the instructions for filing a claim. All claims must contain accurate and truthful information to protect the legal process’s integrity. Claims submitted with fraudulent information will be rejected and could harm other users who qualify for compensation. When the integrity of the process is protected, it increases the chance of plaintiffs receiving compensation from the settlement.
Keep in mind the lawsuit is currently pending appeal in lower courts. Compensation will not be disbursed unless the court warrants it.
The Bottom Line
If you’re a cellphone user, you could likely be a participant in this class action settlement. Although the case has not been finalized, do your due diligence to receive the rightly owed compensation.
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