Lawyers are heading for the High Court of Justice in London tomorrow to put forward an application for a Group Litigation Order against Volkswagen amidst the emission scandal, where millions of people were sold defect diesel vehicles. The three-day hearing will decide the deadline for claimants as well as the lead solicitor to represent all claims against Volkswagen in what is set to be the biggest consumer class action in England and Wales ever. To date, there are 1.2million potential claimants in the UK, of which none have received compensation. This is compared to $25billion that has been settled in the US. 

Illegal defeat devices

The move follows 2015’s high-profile ‘Dieselgate’ exposé in which the company was found to have cheated emissions testing by installing illegal defeat devices in in its EA189 diesel engines from 2009 to 2015. The application for a Group Litigation Order was made by Slater and Gordon which represents over 40,000 affected car owners, making it the largest group of claimants collectively taking legal action against VW for the emissions scandal and the largest group legal action in England and Wales’ legal history. Your Lawyers director Aman Johal is acting for over 10,000 claimants. Subject to court approval, the deadline for claims is likely to be in November 2018 for anyone who has bought or leased a diesel vehicle manufactured by the VW group (which includes VW, Audi, SEAT or Skoda) between 2009 and 2015. 

Pollution

The installation of the illegal defeat devices by Volkswagen to cheat the European emissions testing regime led to over two million Britons buying cars which were polluting more NOx than expected. Nearly 1.2 million Volkswagen diesel vehicles are affected in the UK, which constitutes as more than one in 10 vehicles on UK roads. Some of the affected vehicles in the USA have been found to produce 40 times more NOx than permitted, with a devastating human and environmental impact.

Seeking damages

Aman Johal, director of Your Lawyers, said of the upcoming court date: 'It is time that victims of Volkswagen’s emissions scandal achieve justice and that their voices are heard. Millions of people have been subject to harmful emissions, and consumers have lost money as a result of the scandal. We are working hard to seek damages for claimants in the UK who are yet to receive anything, unlike their US counterparts, where Volkswagen agreed a $25 billion settlement with owners, regulators, states and dealers.Once we have an agreed deadline, we urge Claimants to stand up and put forward their cases to finally get the recognition and compensation they deserve.'