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Volkswagen Emissions Scandal Class Action Lawsuit Overview:
- Who: Arguments are set to be heard in a class action lawsuit lobbied at Volkswagen by a Class of car buyers.
- Why: The car buyers claim Volkswagen deceived them into believing their vehicles produced lower levels of emissions than they actually did.
- Where: The class action lawsuit is being heard in Britain’s high court.
Drivers who claim they were deceived by Volkswagen into believing their vehicles produced lower emissions levels than they actually did are getting closer to having their day in court.
A five-day hearing is scheduled to play out in the high court, in which counsel for the car buyers are expected to argue Volkswagen deceived its customers by failing to disclose their vehicles contained devices used to rig emission tests, reports The Guardian.
The arguments are expected to have a significant impact on a trial scheduled for January 2023.
Car buyers argued in a 2019 class action lawsuit that Volkswagen falsified the green credentials of its vehicles — including Seats, Audis, and Skodas — to make it appear they emitted less nitrogen oxide than was actually the case, reports The Guardian.
The Class of car buyers has grown to 90,000 claimants since the complaint was filed in 2019, after an investigation in 2015 found the vehicle manufacturer had intentionally rigged emissions data by placing what are known as “defeat devices” inside their vehicles’ EA189 diesel engines.
Volkswagen has already had to pay around £25 billion in vehicle buybacks, compensation, and legal fees, since the existence of the defeat devices were revealed, reports The Guardian.
The German car manufacturer is expected to argue that, by law, they did not deceive car buyers, since customers did not believe the cars were not fitted with the emission rigging devices one way or another.
Even if deceit claims are not allowed to proceed, Volkswagen would still potentially be on the hook for breach of statutory duty and breach of contract claims, reports The Guardian.
Volkswagen previously failed in an attempt to appeal the class action lawsuit, after a judge determined the emissions tests were in fact inaccurate due to software the company had installed.
A similar class action lawsuit was filed against Mercedes-Benz in September by drivers who claim the company sold them vehicles installed with defeat devices meant to cheat emissions tests.
Do you drive a Volkswagen vehicle that was installed with a defeat device? Let us know in the comments!
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- Mercedes Hit With Another Class Action Lawsuit Over Emissions Testing Scandal ‘Dieselgate’
- Volkswagen Slapped With Another ‘Dieselgate’ Class Action Alleging Emissions-Cheating Software
- Up to 1.2 Million Could Seek Damages in Mercedes-Benz Emissions Scandal, Lawyers Say
- Honda Recalls Nearly 78K Vehicles in UK Over Fire Risks
