Apple’s Jon Prosser Lawsuit Gets Second Chance After Default Lifted

Jon Prosser has a second chance to formally contest Apple’s lawsuit after a federal judge removed the default judgment entered against him for missing a court deadline.

Apple sued Prosser and Michael Ramacciotti last year, alleging that Ramacciotti accessed a development iPhone belonging to former Apple employee Ethan Lipnik while Lipnik was away from home. Apple claims Prosser used information from that device to publish videos previewing parts of what later became the Liquid Glass redesign in iOS 26.

The case stalled when Prosser missed the deadline to respond, prompting the clerk to enter default at Apple’s request. That default effectively froze him out of the proceedings, preventing him from contesting any of Apple’s claims until a court removed it.

Back on the Clock

Prosser eventually retained legal counsel, and his attorney indicated plans to mount a formal defense. Apple and Prosser then jointly agreed that lifting the default would move the case forward more efficiently, which is a notable posture from a company that rarely softens its grip in trade secret litigation.

U.S. District Judge James Donato granted the request and gave Prosser ten days from the order date to file a response. The order is dated June 22, though it references discovery and deposition deadlines that had already passed, suggesting the court signed an earlier draft without updating those dates.

The procedural reset means the underlying allegations, including how Prosser obtained details about Apple’s internal design work before iOS features were announced, still have to be answered on the merits. Getting to default was the easy part for Apple. Getting a judgment that holds up is a different matter.