The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation will likely consolidate the more than 60 class-action lawsuits filed against Apple over iPhone slowdowns since the initial revelations surfaced last December, MacRumors reports. A court filing shows a hearing scheduled for March 29 to consider consolidation, likely in the Northern District of California near where Apple is headquartered and where around half of the original lawsuits have been filed. Apple also faces lawsuits in six other countries, including one filed last Friday with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Canada. The U.S. Department of Justice and Securities and Exchange Commission are both also investigating whether Apple broke securities laws by not disclosing that it was intentionally slowing down older iPhones with aging batteries. Apple has publicly apologized for its lack of transparency and offered reduced-cost battery replacements to some affected users.
