The Central London County Court awarded on Monday to Briton Deric White £1,200, or the equivalent of $1,800, as compensation and another £800 ($1,200) for costs. His initial demand was for £5,000 ($7,500) compensation.
CNET reports that White filed a lawsuit against an Apple repair shop in London which fixed his iPhone in December but erased all the photos and videos in the gadget. The lost images included those taken from his honeymoon in Seychelles. Also lost were his personal contacts for 15 years, reports Digital Trends.
In fixing the iPhone of the 68-year-old cancer survivor, the Apple repair man reset the device, and in the process, wiped out the data, likely assuming the owner has backed up those phone numbers, pictures and videos.
"I did this for the common man. I would say to anybody who has a gripe with Apple: Don't let them boss you about and ignore you," Standard quotes White.
Apple refused to settle out of court. The case could have been easily settled "if common sense had come into the arena," says District Judge Ruth Fine. She found the Apple store in London negligent in treating White's phone.
Victoria Nottage, Apple's lawyer, told the court that White was informed that his data was at risk if the iPhone would be restored, but he took the risk by not backing up the data before bringing the gadget to the repair shop.
But Fine, in favoring White, says that difficulty in assessing the damage in cases like what happened does not mean the complainant is not entitled to compensation.