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The troubles are far from over for the German auto manufacturer Volkswagen. In addition to several civil and a federal lawsuit, the automaker is now facing lawsuits brought by individual states.
On Thursday, September 8, the state of Vermont sued Volkswagen and its affiliates. They claimed the “Dieselgate” scandal violated state consumer and environmental laws.
Over the summer, Volkswagen agreed to spend about $15 billion to settle lawsuits and complaints about the emissions cheating.
Vermont’s Attorney General William Sorrell said that the state had rejected the automaker’s proposal to pay the state about $1,000 per vehicle for violating state consumer protection laws. They said the amount was inadequate.
Sorrell stated that per capita, Vermont bought more Volkswagen vehicles than any other state other than Oregon. He estimated that there were 3,400 Volkswagen vehicles registered in the state.
The lawsuit, which was filed in Vermont Superior Court, made many allegations. Among them, the claim that Volkswagen, Audi AG, Porsche AG and their American subsidiaries fraudulently sold the vehicles. They claimed that the vehicles were “clean” and “environmentally friendly.” They then covered up the wrongdoing by misleading environmental regulators.
Volkswagen said that it had received Vermont’s complaint and would respond appropriately.
To date, the company has agreed to buy back affected vehicles. They have also created an environmental remediation trust with $2.7 million. Vermont is eligible to receive $17.8 million of those funds.
Vermont and New Jersey are the only two states so far that have filed lawsuits for the violation of both consumer protection and environmental protection laws. Several other states have filed lawsuits alleging one or the other.
If you own or lease an affected Volkswagen vehicle, you may be entitled to compensation. Contact the “Strong Arm” attorneys at the law offices of John Foy & Associates. Our attorneys will help you get the compensation you deserve. Contact us today.
