Ohio Supreme Court to decide whether Volkswagen should pay state hundreds of billions for 2015

Ohio Supreme Court to decide whether Volkswagen should pay state hundreds of billions for 2015 emissions scandal


COLUMBUS, Ohio—The Ohio Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to hear a lawsuit in which the state of Ohio is seeking hundreds of billions of dollars in penalties from Volkswagen for the automaker’s 2015 emissions cheating scandal.

If Ohio wins the lawsuit, it could open Volkswagen up to lawsuits from other states, as well as thousands of local governments, for intentionally violating clean-air laws by using software that evades federal emissions standards.

In 2016, Volkswagen agreed to a nearly $15 billion settlement, under which the German car company agreed to pay the state of Ohio $13 million, as well as offer compensation of at least $5,100 each to nearly 14,000 Ohioans who bought or leased Volkswagen and Audi diesel-powered vehicles in model years 2009-2015.

In its appeal, Volkswagen stated that through various court settlements and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency penalties, Ohio and its residents have received (or will receive) more than $343 million in consumer relief, $71 million in environmental mitigation, and $36 million in compensation to dealers, which adds up to nearly $33,000 per affected vehicle in Ohio.

Read more: https://www.cleveland.com/open/2020/03/ohio-supreme-court-to-decide-whether-volkswagen-should-pay-state-hundreds-of-billions-for-2015-emissions-scandal.html