SAN FRANCISCO — A class action settlement over faulty Apple laptop power adapters sounded dead on arrival Tuesday at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Neither U.S. District Judge James Ware’s approval nor a declaration from mediator Fern Smith attesting to the arm’s-length nature of the negotiations sounded likely to spare In re Apple MagSafe Power Adapter Litigation from remand for further hearings on the $3.1 million attorney fee award.