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Epic Asks Supreme Court to Reject Apple Bid to Undo App Store Contempt Ruling

The fight could reshape how courts hold tech platforms in contempt for violating injunctions.

Overview

  • Epic filed a formal opposition on June 4 asking the U.S. Supreme Court to deny Apple’s petition that seeks to overturn a civil contempt finding and narrow the scope of a 2021 anti‑steering injunction.
  • Apple’s petition argues the contempt ruling rests on violating the injunction’s “spirit” rather than its text and asks the Court to limit nationwide injunctions under Trump v. CASA.
  • The Ninth Circuit largely upheld the contempt finding in December 2025 but rejected a blanket zero‑commission remedy and remanded for the district court to set an allowable fee.
  • Epic says the appeals court found Apple violated the express terms of the order—pointing to Apple’s 27% off‑App‑Store commission, interface limits, and warning screen as willful breaches requiring enforcement.
  • Lower courts are moving on an expedited track to set remedial relief while the Supreme Court decides whether to take the case, a decision observers expect before the justices’ summer recess.