NEWARK, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Consumers today filed a class-action lawsuit against Samsung accusing the electronics giant of concealing a widespread defect that causes rear camera glass in Samsung Galaxy S20 smartphones to shatter unexpectedly during normal use, according to attorneys at Hagens Berman.
The lawsuit was filed Apr. 27, 2021, in the U.S. District Court of the District of New Jersey, and accuses Samsung of fraud, breach of warranty and violations of several consumer-protection laws. The phones, sold with “professional” camera quality were made and sold with a defect affecting the back camera module’s glass covering that “shatters - spontaneously, with no external force applied - and even when the phone is encased in a protective case,” according to the lawsuit.
It took no more than four days after the Samsung Galaxy S20 went on sale for a purchaser to report the defect on Samsung’s community website, and the complaint details many consumer reports.
Bang for Your Buck: Defect Leaves “Bullet Hole” Shattered Glass
The lawsuit states that the shattering is a known defect that has also plagued other previously released Samsung phone models. The shattering leaves behind a tell-tale “’bullet hole’ pattern.”
“Samsung sold its Galaxy S20 as a high-end option for consumers, with a ‘professional’ grade camera, charging upwards of $1,600 per device, only to have them suddenly lose a major aspect of their functionality,” said Steve Berman, managing partner of Hagens Berman and attorney for consumers in the class action. “During a time of social-distancing and increased use of online access, consumers are especially in need of a reliable mobile device, yet Samsung has refused to deliver the reliability it promised its customers.”
Consumers say that despite having paid a premium price for the Galaxy S20 and the significance of the defect, Samsung refuses to cover the issue under its warranty, forcing them to pay $400 to send the phone back to Samsung to investigate the issue, or $100 under purchased Samsung care device insurance to repair the shattered glass. Often consumers do so only to have the defect reoccur, leaving them doubly harmed. Other consumers report having paid hundreds of dollars out of pocket at third party repair providers.
Samsung’s revenue in 2020, when it released the Galaxy S20, was more than $200 billion dollars. In the first quarter of 2020, Samsung captured 20 percent of the global smartphone market share.
What Samsung Knows About the Galaxy S20 Glass Defect
Following hundreds of online reports of the spontaneous shattered, cracked and broken rear camera glass in the Galaxy S20, Samsung acknowledged the defect and admitted consumers were not at fault.
In a Samsung consumer forum, a Samsung Care Ambassador stated: “This happened to one of our ambassadors. After many complaints about the issue, we found out that it has to do with pressure buildup underneath the glass and not customers banging it against something.”
After this post by Samsung acknowledging the issue was rooted in a single identifiable cause, and attributable to Samsung, Samsung still failed to initiate a recall, and continues to deny customer warranty claims. Samsung also continues to offer no meaningful solution to the issue, according to attorneys.
Consumer Reports: The Samsung S20 Camera Glass Defect
The lawsuit details many consumers complaints regarding the shattered glass defect:
- “I set it down on a wood table and picked back up and the something happened. I called Samsung and the wanted me to send my phone in and they would fix it but that would take up to 2 weeks. I bought the protection plan on it but they are giving me the runaround and still haven’t done anything…”
- “Out of nowhere I looked at my camera and the glass is cracked. In the case at that. I didn’t even drop it.”
- “…With in less than a week my glass on the camera has broke. Phone has always been in a case and not dropped… There is absolutely no reason this should of happened. The camera is the reason I decided on the S20 plus. This will be my last S phone…”
Consumers seek repayment for the repairs and other damages they suffered due to Samsung’s widespread design defect and warranty breaches. The suit also seeks compensation for affected consumers regarding a loss of value in the product.
Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP is a consumer-rights class-action law firm with 10 offices worldwide. The firm’s tenacious drive for plaintiffs’ rights has earned it numerous national accolades, awards and titles of “Most Feared Plaintiff’s Firm,” MVPs and Trailblazers of class-action law. More about the law firm and its successes can be found at www.hbsslaw.com. Follow the firm for updates and news at @ClassActionLaw.
