Apple Gets Defective Smart Watch Class Claims Trimmed

Apple Inc. doesn’t have to defend claims that it violated New Jersey consumer protection law by knowingly selling defective Apple Watches, because the complaint didn’t sufficiently allege the company knew the watches were defective when sold, a federal court in the state said.

Gina Priano-Keyser’s class action complaint didn’t show that Apple concealed its knowledge that the smart watch batteries would swell, causing the screens to crack, shatter, or detach from the watch body, in order to induce people to purchase the watches, the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey said.

Priano-Keyser bought a third-generation Apple Watch, ...