Shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) fell 2.66% on Tuesday, Sept. 29, adding to a decline in the prior session, despite having set an intraday all-time high on Tuesday, Sept. 22. A federal jury’s $5.7 billion verdict against Apple on Friday, Sept. 25, added a fresh legal overhang, providing a reminder that even the largest companies can see their stock spooked by a single piece of legal news.
The ruling ordered the tech giant to pay more than $5.7 billion to Taction Technology after finding that Apple’s Taptic Engine infringed claims in two patents covering haptic-feedback technology used in iPhones and Apple Watches. Apple has said it will appeal. A $5.7 billion one-time payment might be material in absolute terms, but Apple has substantial financial capacity to absorb it, having generated nearly $117 billion in operating cash flow during the first nine months of fiscal 2026.
