Apple Korea settles first iPhone damage suit with teen girl

Apple Korea has agreed to make a payment to a 14-year-old South Korean iPhone user in the nation's first iPhone damage suit filed for the breakdown of her device supposedly caused by water damage, court officials said Friday.

Apple agreed to pay 290,000 won (US$259) to the girl, identified only as Lee, in the lawsuit arbitrated by a Seoul court Thursday.

iPhone 4 (Yonhap News)

Her father, Lee Chul-ho, had filed the suit on her behalf in October seeking repair fees, after an Apple service center refused to fix her iPhone 3G for free despite its one-year warranty. The service center claimed she caused the damage, citing discoloration of a water sensor inside the phone, which the warranty does not cover, although she denied any responsibility.

Apple had tried to settle the case in December last year, but the plaintiffs refused to accept their offer, saying the ultimate purpose of the suit was aimed at demanding that Apple improve its service policy.

During an undisclosed settlement proceeding on Thursday, the plaintiff accepted Apple Korea's offer of compensation that would come within one week, court officials said. A settlement in a civil suit has the same effect as a court verdict.

"Even though we did not have a court decision, Apple's payment of the service fees virtually means that it acknowledged its faulty after-sale policy," the father said. "I think (the lawsuit) provided an opportunity for other people facing a similar situation to demand free repair service."

(Yonhap News)