Kentucky’s Attorney General is filing suit against Volkswagen and associated brands Audi and Porsche over false claims on emissions on its diesel cars.
The lawsuit, filed by AG Andy Beshear seeks civil penalties under the Consumer Protection Act and could provide an option for restitution for Kentucky owners of the vehicles. Beshear says the company sold cars with rigged emissions software, a claim the company has admitted. “Volkswagen blatantly deceived consumers by developing, installing and concealing defeat devices inside certain diesel engines. These devices were designed to cheat during emissions tests to suggest that the vehicle emitted less toxins than it actually did”
Volkswagen also ran national ad campaigns touting their clean and efficient engine technology, but federal officials say the models were actually emitting up to 40 times the legal limit of pollutants. Beshear laid out the lawsuit at a press conference Tuesday morning. “Penalties under to consumer protection act is seeking restitution on behalf of consumers until we’re satisfied that they’ve gotten what they deserve and we’ve asserted a number of common law claims such as nuisance and others. Additionally we’re seeking an injunction to make sure this never happens in the future”
The German carmaker is being sued over the diesel emissions scandal by the U.S. Department of Justice and several other states. Owners of the vehicles across the county have also filed suit, including a class-action case that is ongoing here in Kentucky.
Volkswagen acknowledges that they put the defeat devices on more than 11 million models worldwide, 3,800 of them are registered in Kentucky. So far the company has offered a “goodwill package” for owners who bought the affected cars. It includes a $500 prepaid debit card, a $500 credit to a Volkswagen dealer and three years of 24/7 roadside assistance.