Volkswagen will be facing another lawsuit in the United States. Missouri joins 16 other US states in suing the German automaker over its diesel emissions. The announcement was made on Monday by the said US state's attorney general.
The Case Against Volkswagen
The Missouri Times reports that Attorney General Chris Koster revealed that Volkswagen, along with Audi, Porshe, and their American Subsidiaries, violated Missouri's Air Conservation Law. Apparently, the automaker had been cheating on its diesel emissions.
They illegally installed "defeat devices" that caused illegal amounts of unsafe emissions. It is also revealed that more than 7,800 vehicles had been affected by the compromised emission control systems.
The report also states that the said fraud was initially discovered back in 2014. University of West Virginia graduate students had exposed that the supposedly "clean diesel" vehicles emitted 40 times the limit of emitted pollutants. Volkswagen made it even worse by trying to keep it under wraps for 14 months.
Eventually, Volkswagen is not able to escape the consequences of such action. The partial settlement between the automaker and the State of Missouri includes over $40 million in consumer restitution, up to $39 million for environmental air-remediation programs and $8.7 million payment to the state for violating the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act.
Other Lawsuits For Volkswagen
According to Reuters, there will be a hearing in San Francisco on the approval of the $10.033 billion settlement with 475, 000 vehicles owners. US District Judge Charles Breyer will preside the said hearing on Tuesday. Volkswagen has already been sued by 16 other US states that include California, New York, Texas and New Jersey.
Volkswagen spokesperson Jeannine Ginivan has already said that the company is committed to a fair and efficient resolution of the remaining diesel claims. It will also review the complaint of the State of Missouri.
The German automaker has already paid $16.7 billion in settlements on this issue. Reuters further reports that Volkswagen has also reserved $19.94 billion for all its legal costs.
