Last month, German automaker Volkswagen shocked the world by admitting that it had intentionally deceived both regulators and consumers with emission technology in an alarming number of their vehicles. Now, a growing number of lawsuits are being consolidated before a federal judge and are expected to seek billions of dollars for defrauding American consumers.
As Market Watch reports, Volkswagen disclosed last month that many of its cars had been outfitted with a “defeat device.” The device, which is software based, allowed Volkswagen cars to register a low emission output during smog tests, but then operated on exceedingly high emissions when on the road. The company believes that 11 million of its cars worldwide are outfitted with a defeat device.
In the U.S., dozens of class-action lawsuits have been submitted to a federal judge. These suits are coming from all over the country and are likely to be consolidated into something called multi-district litigation. At the time of Market Watch‘s report, two dozen lawsuits had been filed. Hundreds more are expected.
DEFRAUDING AUTO CONSUMERS
Since 2008, Volkswagen buyers have been purchasing vehicles that were advertised as “low emission/high performance.” According to some of the claims already filed, consumers paid extra for this technology, sometimes up to $6000. Now these cars have been dramatically devalued. While Volkswagen is also scrambling to provide recall repairs, it is likely that once remedied, these cars’ performance will decrease.
Affected models include recent Jetta models, Jetta SportsWagens, Passats, Golfs and the iconic VW Beetle (including recent Beetle Convertibles). Recent models of the popular Audi A3 have also been affected. Audi is owned by Volkswagen.
If you believe your vehicle has been outfitted with a defeat device and would like to pursue justice for this deception, then we invite you to contact us at The Robert Pahlke Law Group today. Our dedicated Nebraska civil litigation attorneys are ready to help you file an appropriate claim and seek the compensation you deserve for this inexcusable action from Volkswagen.
Do not hesitate to join the effort to hold Volkswagen accountable. Contact us today to get started.