Lawsuit Filed Against Apple Alleging AirTag Design Enabled Covert Tracking of Louisiana Woman

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., Sept. 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Bradley/Grombacher LLP filed a lawsuit against Apple Inc. on behalf of a Louisiana woman who alleges an unknown person secretly tracked her movements for approximately two weeks with an Apple AirTag concealed inside her truck.

The lawsuit, BG Doe 1 v. Apple Inc., Case No. 5:26-cv-10713, asserts claims for negligence, strict liability-design defect, violations of California's Unfair Competition Law, failure to warn, fraudulent concealment and intentional misrepresentation, and violations of the Louisiana Products Liability Act.

According to the complaint, Apple designed, manufactured, marketed and sold AirTags despite knowing that stalkers, abusers and other individuals could use the small tracking devices to secretly monitor people without their knowledge or consent. The lawsuit further alleges that Apple knew before it launched AirTags that the devices presented serious stalking and domestic violence risks.

"Apple created an extraordinarily powerful tracking device and connected it to a global network of more than a billion devices, but it failed to build adequate safeguards around that technology," said Kiley Grombacher, partner at Bradley/Grombacher LLP and counsel for the plaintiff. "Our client did nothing to invite this intrusion. Someone secretly placed an AirTag in her truck and allegedly tracked her movements for weeks. This lawsuit seeks to hold Apple accountable for design choices that, according to the complaint, left foreseeable victims vulnerable to exactly this kind of abuse."

BG Doe 1 lives in Louisiana and used an Android phone rather than an iPhone. In December of 2024, her Android device alerted her that an unknown AirTag appeared to have traveled with her. Her alert history indicated that the device had tracked her for approximately two weeks before her phone warned her.

BG Doe 1 and her coworkers then searched her truck and found an AirTag that someone had concealed beneath approximately six inches of duct tape attached to the inside of the truck bed. The complaint states that she believes an unknown individual may have placed the AirTag on her vehicle around the time she deposited her Christmas bonus at a bank.

She reported the incident to the Mandeville Police Department, and responding officers dismissed her concerns and characterized the alert as a glitch because she used an Android phone, taking no further action.

The lawsuit alleges that BG Doe 1 never identified the person who placed the AirTag on her truck and now lives with persistent fear and anxiety because she cannot know whether someone continues to track her or may attempt to track her again. She also alleges that she incurred expenses for additional security applications, vehicle inspections, lost wages and other costs after discovering the device.

The lawsuit alleges that the same characteristics that make AirTags useful for locating property, such as their small size, long battery life and connection to Apple's Find My network, also make them powerful tools for covert surveillance.

Domestic violence advocates, cybersecurity experts and others warned Apple about the risk of stalking before and immediately after the company launched AirTags. The lawsuit alleges that Apple nevertheless released the devices with inadequate safety measures and later introduced incremental changes only after reports of AirTag stalking proliferated.

"This case raises a larger question about the responsibility that comes with building technology capable of tracking another human being," Ms. Grombacher said. "A company cannot focus only on what a product can do for its customers. It also must confront the foreseeable ways that people can use that product to harm others. We allege Apple knew about these risks, understood ways to reduce them and still failed to provide reasonable protections."

About Bradley/Grombacher LLP

Bradley/Grombacher LLP represents consumers in complex litigation involving defective products, corporate misconduct and other claims involving harm to individuals. The firm maintains its office in Westlake Village, California. Those in need can call (866) 881-0403.

Media Contact: Joe Marchelewski, [email protected], 310-462-2252

SOURCE Bradley/Grombacher