Last checked at (Sharecast News) - The High Court has ruled that carmaker Volkswagen installed unlawful "defeat devices" in thousands of its diesel vehicles in England and Wales in emissions litigation.
In a judgment delivered remotely on Monday, Justice Waksman ruled that "the software function in issue in this case is indeed a defeat device" under EU regulations.
Legal action was taken after a scandal named "dieselgate" revealed that the German automotive company had planted devices in its cars that would cheat European emission standards.
The cars were in fact emitting around 40 times more than the legal limit of nitrogen dioxide permitted by the EU when on the road.
In September 2015, Volkswagen said that 11m vehicles (1.2m in the UK) were affected by the scheme.
About 90,000 motorists who bought VW, Audi, Seat and Skoda diesel vehicles have taken legal action to secure compensation for being misled into buying the vehicles with false emissions claims from the manufacturer.
Their lawyers say VW "cheated" European emissions standards, which were designed "to save lives".
VW has had to pay out more than €30bn (?26bn) in fines, recall costs and civil settlements, and has led to criminal charges by German prosecutors against current and former senior employees.
14 Mar 2022 09:07
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