SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — HP has failed to shunt aside class-action legal claims that it disables the scanners on its multifunction printers when their ink runs low.
The lawsuit charges that HP deliberately withholds this information from consumers to boost profits from the sale of expensive ink cartridges.
In early 2022, U.S. District Judge Beth Labson Freeman dismissed the complaint on legal grounds but did not address the lawsuit’s claims.
On Aug. 10, the judge largely rejected HP’s request to dismiss the revised complaint, allowing the case to proceed.
All-in-one inkjet printers generally seem like a bargain compared to the cost of separate devices with scanning, copying and fax functions.
In 2018, Consumer Reports tested hundreds of all-in-one inkjet printers and found that, when used intermittently, many models delivered less than half of their ink to printed documents.