- A couple in Texas is suing Apple for over $75,000 in damages after their son was injured by his Airpods.
- The parents said their 12-year-old was using his Airpods when an Amber Alert blared through at a high volume.
- The child suffered a damaged eardrum and will require a hearing aid for the rest of his life.
A couple in Texas is suing Apple after their son suffered “permanent hearing loss” while using his Airpods.
Carlos Gordoa and Ariani Reyes of San Antonio, Texas are demanding over $75,000 in damages after their 12-year-old son suffered hearing loss when an Amber Alert went off while he was using his Airpods.
The incident happened in May 2020 when Gordoa and Reyes’ son, called B.G. in the lawsuit, was watching
Netflix
with his Airpods that had been purchased new six months earlier.
“B.G. was watching Netflix on his iPhone connected to the AirPods at a low volume when an Amber Alert went off suddenly, and without warning, at a volume that tore apart B.G.’s ear drum, damaged his cochlea, and caused significant injuries to B.G.’s hearing,” the lawsuit said.
The child has also “suffered from bouts of dizziness, vertigo, and nausea,” since the incident, as well as mental anguish and emotional trauma, the lawsuit says. He will have to use a hearing aid for the rest of his life.
“At 12 years old, B.G. suffered sudden and permanent hearing loss in his right ear,” according to the suit. “B.G. has lost his ability to live a normal life, and he will continue to live a diminished life into the future, including a diminished earning capacity.”
The lawsuit also claimed the family will have medical bills to deal with for the foreseeable future “as a result of the defective AirPods.” The suit claims the devices are defective in design or lack adequate warnings for the risks of use.
“Had Apple designed the AirPods to self-adjust to safe levels or provided warnings about the volume increases associated with alerts, this boy would be living a normal life,” said attorney Tej Paranjpe, one of the lawyers representing the family, in a press release.
Apple did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.
