Apple Settles 'Death Grip' Lawsuit over iPhone Service

​Apple has settled multiple class-action lawsuits alleging that holding the iPhone 4 in a certain way cut off service to the popular smartphone -- what plaintiffs in the case called a "death grip" causing the loss of the phone's signal.

As Courthouse News reports, customers in the 16 separate federal lawsuits filed against Apple over the death-grip problem can receive either $15 in cash or a "bumper," an iPhone case that prevents the phone's antennae from being covered by the user's hand in a way that drops calls.

In a complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, plaintiff Alan Benevisty alleged fraud, false advertising, and breach of warranty, Courthouse News reported.

Benevisty asserted that, despite the claims of late Apple CEO Steve Jobs that antennae were "integrated ... right in the structure of the phone," covering the bottom left corner of the device with the palm of one's hand caused a loss of reception.

Apple admitted no wrongdoing in the settlement, which was approved by a federal judge in San Jose.

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