Apple is being sued in two separate legal actions over the way that it awards stock options. 

The cases have been filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of California and the Superior Court for Santa Clara County. 

Both suits make claims against current and former officers and directors with respect to the company's awarding of stock option grants.

Apple announced last week that it had discovered irregularities in the issuance of certain stock option grants, and insisted that it is conducting an independent investigation into the matter.

The company said in a statement that it is evaluating its response to the lawsuits.