Business · Companies · 4 hrs ago
DOJ and Apple ask court to resolve dispute over evidence in antitrust case
The US Justice Department and Apple are at an impasse over documents in the department’s antitrust case against the company.
The DOJ wants Apple to provide documents from after June 2025, when the agreed collection period ended, through 30 days before the discovery deadline in May 2027.
Apple says extending the collection period would cause more delays and argues it will provide specific documents if requested.
The case concerns Apple’s control over features and services on its platforms, including messaging, gaming and smartwatch functions.
Apple has reviewed more than 11 million documents and produced more than 2 million, covering an 18-year period.
A court will decide whether Apple must provide the newer documents, while the case continues.
The US Department of Justice and Apple have asked a court to resolve their impasse over how recent Apple’s documents must be in the antitrust case.
The DOJ wants Apple to produce documents created up to 30 days before fact discovery closes, now scheduled for late May 2027.
Apple says the parties agreed to a June 20, 2025 cutoff and that expanding production would cause months of delay.
Apple is willing to consider targeted requests for additional documents, but the DOJ says that approach would be unworkable.
The lawsuit, filed in March 2024, accuses Apple of illegally maintaining a monopoly in the smartphone market; Apple denies the allegations.
- Who
- The US Department of Justice and Apple. The lawsuit was also brought by 15 states and the District of Columbia.
- What
- They have asked the court to resolve a dispute over the cutoff date for Apple’s document production in the antitrust case.
- When
- They filed a joint notice of impasse on October 21, 2026.
- Where
- In the US antitrust lawsuit against Apple.
- Why
- The DOJ wants documents through 30 days before fact discovery closes, while Apple says the agreed June 20, 2025 cutoff should remain in place.
The US Department of Justice
Apple
Document cutoff
The US Department of Justice
The DOJ says Apple should produce records created up to 30 days before fact discovery closes, to help obtain evidence of allegedly ongoing anticompetitive conduct.
Apple
Apple says the parties agreed to a June 20, 2025 cutoff and that extending production would effectively restart document discovery.
Approach to additional documents
The US Department of Justice
The DOJ says Apple’s proposal to consider targeted requests case by case is unworkable and could generate further disputes.
Apple
Apple is willing to consider targeted requests for additional documents on a case-by-case basis.
The Department of Justice, 15 states and the District of Columbia filed an antitrust lawsuit against Apple.
The parties’ agreed cutoff date for Apple’s document production.
Apple and the DOJ notified the court that they had reached an impasse over the cutoff.
Fact discovery is scheduled to close.
- Lawsuit filed
- March 2024
- Parties bringing the lawsuit
- Department of Justice, 15 states and the District of Columbia
- Agreed document cutoff
- June 20, 2025
- Current fact discovery deadline
- Late May 2027
- Documents sought by DOJ
- Records created up to 30 days before fact discovery closes
2 sources
What people are saying
ongoing anticompetitive conduct
months of delay into this case