{"id":54022,"date":"2025-05-01T15:25:17","date_gmt":"2025-05-01T13:25:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.apfelpatient.de\/?p=54022"},"modified":"2025-05-01T15:25:58","modified_gmt":"2025-05-01T13:25:58","slug":"apple-under-pressure-manager-lies-under-oath-in-court","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.apfelpatient.de\/en\/news\/apple-unter-druck-manager-luegt-vor-gericht-unter-eid","title":{"rendered":"Apple under pressure: Manager lies under oath in court"},"content":{"rendered":"

Apple is under massive pressure. The legal dispute with Epic Games, which seemed to have been settled long ago, has come back into focus due to new developments. And this time, it's no longer just about commercial issues, but also about potential criminal consequences. A high-ranking Apple executive is alleged to have lied under oath. The allegations are serious \u2013 up to and including a possible prison sentence. This is no longer a normal corporate dispute, but a serious legal crisis.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you think of Apple, products like the iPhone, MacBook, or Apple Watch probably come to mind \u2013 reliable, innovative, successful. But even a global corporation like Apple can make mistakes. And when these mistakes occur in court, things get critical. That's exactly what happened now. The iPhone manufacturer is alleged to have not only violated a legally binding judgment, but also deliberately attempted to deceive the court. The judge calls this intentional misleading. This puts not only the company's reputation at stake \u2013 but also the personal freedom of a manager.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How it all began: Epic Games vs. Apple<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

At its core, the issue is the App Store's rules. Epic Games, known for Fortnite, had built its own payment system into its app \u2013 without Apple's consent. This allowed Epic to circumvent the 30 percent commission Apple charges for in-app purchases. Apple responded decisively: Fortnite was removed from the App Store. The case ended up in court in 2020. Apple won most of the case. The court clarified that the App Store was not a monopoly \u2013 a clear victory the company could have accepted. But there was one point where Apple lost: The court ruled that developers could use alternative payment methods without Apple earning any profit from them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apple's reaction: ruling ignored<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Instead of implementing the ruling, Apple announced that it would also charge a commission for external payments \u2013 a 27 percent commission. This directly contradicts the court's decision. Epic Games went back to court, accusing Apple of bad faith. The presiding judge, Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, confirmed this impression. She ordered Apple to disclose internal documents that would document the decision-making process for the new commission. Apple claimed that it would not be able to provide the requested documents in time. A second judge also expressed skepticism and suggested that Apple was lying. This raised suspicions that the company deliberately made false statements to circumvent the ruling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The allegations against Alex Roman<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

It's now clear: It wasn't just about contradictory statements, but about deliberate deception. According to the court, Apple's Vice President of Finance, Alex Roman, lied under oath. He stated that Apple hadn't used any specific data to calculate the 27 percent commission. However, internal business documents show that the plan for the new fee was ready in July 2023 \u2013 not January 2024, as claimed. Roman also claimed that Apple hadn't analyzed comparable data to evaluate the costs of alternative payment services. The court found that this data was indeed used \u2013 and that Apple deliberately concealed the fact that the real costs for developers were significantly lower than the requested commission. Apple and its lawyers made no attempt to retract or correct these false statements. On the contrary: While Apple moved to strike other witness statements, they allowed Roman's false statements to stand. The court sees this as a deliberate decision to accept the lies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consequences: Criminal investigation underway<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The judge has now referred the case to the U.S. Attorney's Office. This means that not only Apple as a company, but also Alex Roman as an individual is under criminal investigation. If convicted, he actually faces prison. Apple could also face consequences \u2013 including financial ones. In an 80-page ruling, the judge made it clear: Apple deliberately attempted to circumvent the ruling. The reaction to the court ruling was not only inappropriate, but a clear violation of the rules. And it wasn't the original behavior, but the cover-up that is now becoming a real problem. This is precisely what has transformed the matter from a civil dispute into a criminal affair (via 9to5mac<\/a> ).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What needs to happen now<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Apple currently has three options:<\/p>\n\n\n\n