U.S. federal judge has accused Apple of wilfully violating a court order in its ongoing legal dispute with Epic Games, referring the matter to federal prosecutors for potential criminal contempt charges.
The ruling, issued Wednesday by Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, comes nearly three years after she ordered Apple to stop anti-competitive practices that restricted developers from directing users to alternative payment systems outside the App Store.
In her latest order, Judge Gonzalez Rogers said Apple deliberately circumvented the 2021 injunction by implementing new restrictions and fees—including a 27% commission on purchases made outside its platform—that undermined the court’s intent to foster competition.
“Apple knew exactly what it was doing and at every turn chose the most anticompetitive option,” she wrote, citing internal communications. The judge further alleged that CEO Tim Cook ignored internal guidance urging compliance and that Vice President of Finance Alex Roman “outright lied under oath.”
The judge has referred the case to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California to determine whether criminal charges are warranted—a rare move in corporate litigation.
Apple responded by defending its actions and vowing to appeal. “We strongly disagree with the decision. We will comply with the court’s order and we will appeal,” a company spokesperson said.
The legal battle originated with a lawsuit from Epic Games, creator of the video game Fortnite, which challenged Apple’s 15–30% commission on in-app purchases and accused the company of monopolizing the app distribution market.
Following the judge’s latest ruling, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney took to social media to call for a global resolution. He said Epic would drop all lawsuits and return Fortnite to Apple’s platforms if Apple fully complied with the court’s directive worldwide.
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