California judge allows iMessage lawsuit against Apple to proceed

A mere two days after releasing a tool which allows users to de-register their phone numbers from iMessage, a California judge has ruled that Apple will face a United States federal lawsuit over the issue, according to a report from Reuters, on the grounds that the company failed to make consumers aware of the fact that its messaging system would block them from receiving text messages if they switched from an iOS-based smartphone to an Android-based one.

The lawsuit was filed by a former iOS user by the name of Adrianne Moore, who claims to have ceased receiving text messages after she switched from an iPhone 4 to a Samsung Galaxy S5, which ultimately interfered with the contract that she had with Verizon, and is the reason why she’s filing this class-action lawsuit and seeking damages. United States District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose has finally allowed the lawsuit to proceed.

According to Judge Koh, “The plaintiff does not have to allege an absolute right to receive every text message in order to allege that Apple’s intentional acts have caused an actual breach or disruption of the contractual relationship.” While this grants Moore permission to carry on with her lawsuit against Apple, it doesn’t guarantee that she’ll win. More information on the case will be released in the weeks and months to come.