Missouri has become the 17th US state to take legal action against Volkswagen, one year after Dieselgate scandal surfaced.
In a statement released on Monday, the state’s Attorney General, Chris Koster, said, cited by Reuters: “Volkswagen’s actions demonstrate a flagrant disregard for Missouri’s environmental laws, as well as the health and welfare of Missourians.“
In response, VW’s spokesperson Jeannine Ginivan admitted that the German automotive giant “is committed to reaching a fair and efficient resolution of remaining federal and state diesel claims in the United States“, adding that the company “will review Missouri’s compliant and respond appropriately.“
On the sidelines of the matter, US District Judge Charles Breyer, who is set to hold a hearing on Tuesday during which a $10.033 billion settlement could be reached with the 475,000 owners of VW vehicles powered by the polluting 2.0-liter diesel engines, revealed hundreds of pages of objections from them. Most owners claim that the automaker should offer a higher buyback price for their cars, and should repay them for some pocket costs, such as the extended warranties.
Volkswagen, on the other hand, is ready to pay no less than $16.7 billion in settlements over the use of illegal software meant to defeat US emissions testing, out of the total of €17.8 billion ($19.55 billion) set aside in order to cover the legal costs from the emissions scandal.
The automaker is not out of the red zone just yet, as it still faces substantial fines from regulators, and the costs could accelerate if it’s forced to buy back the approximately 85,000 Audi, Porsche and VW vehicles powered by the 3.0-liter TDI engines, which also feature the illegal software.
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