Apple Lifts Default Judgment Against Jon Prosser in Trade Secret Case
What You Need to Know
- Apple and Jon Prosser jointly requested federal court vacate default judgment against leaker.
- Ramacciotti allegedly accessed development iPhone and leaked iOS 26 Liquid Glass redesign details to Prosser.
- Apple agreed to reset case in exchange for Prosser’s counsel providing discovery materials immediately.
- Case centers on trade secret misappropriation with significant financial exposure for Prosser if Apple prevails.
Apple and Jon Prosser have jointly asked a federal court to vacate the default judgment entered against the leaker, essentially resetting the case to let him mount a formal defense. The agreement is unusual because Apple, the plaintiff, is actively supporting the request rather than opposing it.
The backstory matters here. Apple sued Prosser and Michael Ramacciotti last year, alleging Ramacciotti accessed a development iPhone belonging to an Apple employee and funneled details about iOS 26’s Liquid Glass redesign to Prosser before the interface was publicly announced. Ramacciotti cooperated with proceedings. Prosser did not, missing multiple response deadlines until a default was entered against him last October.
The practical reason Apple agreed to the reset is buried in the filing: Prosser’s new counsel offered to hand over discovery materials immediately in exchange for the default being lifted. Apple gets evidence faster by cooperating than by letting a default judgment sit and face potential appeals or complications down the line.
What the case is actually about
The underlying legal theory is trade secret misappropriation, which carries real financial exposure if Apple prevails. The interface changes in iOS 26 were among the most visible Apple had made to its mobile OS in years, and the company has historically treated pre-release design details as among its most sensitive internal assets.
Judge James Donato still has to sign off before the default is formally vacated. Assuming he does, Prosser will file a formal answer to Apple’s complaint and the case moves into standard discovery, which is where the more revealing details about how the alleged leak actually happened will likely surface.
Ramacciotti’s cooperation with Apple and Prosser’s months of missed deadlines suggest the two defendants are pursuing very different legal strategies. Whether Prosser’s belated defense of his interface reporting holds up is now, finally, something a court will actually evaluate.
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