May 7, 2021
Macbook Keyboard Litigation
In March 2021 a California federal judge certified a class of purchasers of MacBook laptops equipped with allegedly defective “butterfly” keyboards under Econ One Managing Director Hal Singer’s Choice-Based Conjoint (CBC) survey and associated analysis.
Dr. Singer’s CBC survey methodology included the incorporation of a product attribute matching the alleged keyboard defect at issue. His valuation analysis determined the discount from list price that Apple would have needed to offer to offset the decrease in value experienced by consumers in the presence of the defective keyboard.
The judge determined that Dr. Singer’s analysis was “reliable,” “relevant,” and “helpful,” and “considers Dr. Singer’s [report] as evidence that the CBC analysis method can be modified and tailored to accurately capture class-wide damages.”
Dr. Singer’s team was led by Econ One Economists Kathryn Kaduck and Augustus Urschel, who developed and implemented the CBC survey design.