If you own an iPhone 4 and the glass casing has broken, you are not alone.

So many people have complained, in fact, that the phenomenon has even earned the nickname, “Glassgate.”

Apparently fed up and pissed off, California resident Donald LeBuhn filed a class action lawsuit earlier this week in L.A. County against Apple, claiming the company knows about the design flaw and refuses to warn consumers that “normal” use leads essentially to a broken phone.

According to his lawsuit, first reported by Courthouse News Service, LeBuhn threw down $252 in September for a new iPhone 4, but three weeks later the glass broke when his daughter accidentally dropped it approximately three feet to the ground while sending a text message.

He previously owned a 3GS version of the iPhone and claims the glass did not break when accidentally dropped from similar heights.

LeBuhn is not the only one to make this comparison. Last fall, the independent warranty provider SquareTrade analyzed 20,000 iPhone accidents and determined that:

— iPhone 4 owners reported 82% more damaged screens in the first 4 months compared to iPhone 3gs owners;
— Overall, the reported accident rate for iPhone 4s was 68% higher than for the iPhone 3gs;
— An estimated 15.5% of iPhone 4 owners will have an accident within a year of buying their phone.

LeBuhn's beef starts with the fact that Apple markets the strength of the iPhone 4 glass as “20 times stiffer and 30 times harder than plastic,” and is “ultradurable” and made of the same material as the “glass used in helicopters and high-speed trains.”

This, LeBuhn claims, is all part of Apple's ruse.

In actuality, he says in the lawsuit, “Months after selling millions of iPhone 4s, Apple has failed to warn and continues to sell this product with no warning to customers that the glass housing is defective.”

This is the second time since Apple released the iPhone 4 that is has had to deal with design problems. The company has already addressed issues with the device's antenna.

LeBuhn is asking the court for Apple to refund the purchase price of the phone to all those in the class action lawsuit, to reimburse customers for any repair fees they've paid, and to make restitution for “their overpayment in purchasing defective iPhone 4s.”

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