New emissions blow for Volkswagen as German court backs damages claims
Volkswagen must pay compensation to owners of vehicles
with rigged diesel engines in Germany, a court ruled on Monday, dealing a fresh
blow to the firm almost five years after its emissions scandal erupted.
The
ruling by Germany’s highest court for civil disputes, which will allow owners
to return vehicles for a partial refund of the purchase price, serves as a
template for about 60,000 lawsuits that are still pending with lower German
courts. Volkswagen admitted
in September 2015 to cheating emissions tests on diesel engines, a scandal
which has already cost it more than 30 billion euros ($33 billion) in
regulatory fines and vehicle refits, mostly in the United States (US).
US
authorities banned the affected cars after the cheat software was discovered,
triggering claims for compensation. But in Europe vehicles remained on the
roads, leading Volkswagen to
argue compensation claims there were without merit. European authorities
instead forced the firm to update its engine control software and fined it for
fraud and administrative lapses.
Comments
Post a Comment