1 MILLION MOTORISTS CAN STILL MAKE A CLAIM FOR COMPENSATION FROM THE VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OVER THE DIESEL EMISSIONS SCANDAL

Monday 12 October, 2020At least 1 million motorists in England and Wales could still make a claim for thousands of pounds in compensation from the Volkswagen Group (VW Group) over the diesel emissions scandal it has been announced today.

1.2 million customers in the UK purchased VW Group manufactured vehicles in good faith unaware of the fact that they were fitted with software designed to defeat vehicle emissions tests. This resulted in innocent drivers taking to the roads oblivious to the reality that as a result of this software being installed, their vehicles were emitting up to 40 times the legal limit of Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) permitted by clean air laws in the UK.

NOx significantly increases air pollution and is extremely harmful to both the environment and the health of the general population. Air pollution impairs the lung development of children, as well as being a major cause of heart and lung disease.

The Royal College of Physicians claim that illegal levels of air pollution result in over 40,000 early deaths per year in the UK. US scientific research (carried out at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health) discovered that air pollution is linked to significantly higher rates of death in people with Covid-19. Almost 40% of people in a recent survey said they were far more concerned about the impact of air pollution on their lung health since the Covid-19 pandemic, and 72% believed that the VW Group focused too much on profit to the detriment of public health and the environment.

LGWP Law is calling on consumers in England and Wales to hold the VW Group to account and make a claim if they purchased, leased or financed a diesel Volkswagen, Audi, SEAT or Skoda vehicle manufactured between 1st January 2008 and 1st January 2016.

LGWP Law Director, Philip Evans said: “We would urge anyone who may have owned or leased an affected vehicle to join us in holding the Volkswagen Group to account, Now, more than ever, people are aware of the need to reduce deadly air pollution. The VW Group must be held accountable for their actions by not only compensating their customers financially, but also looking at ways to offset any environmental damage their vehicles caused in the UK.”

Five years after the VW Group emissions scandal emerged, UK drivers have not been offered any compensation, despite the fact that the VW Group have paid billions in compensation in the USA, Canada, Australia and Germany. According to a recent survey, 70% of people thought that the VW Group’s refusal to compensate UK motorists was unfair, and 83% felt that the Government should take stronger action against corporations that flout environmental regulations.

Making a claim offers consumers the best chance of achieving justice and receiving compensation. LGWP Law offers claimants a stress-free path to pursuing a claim on a no win no fee basis they simply need to complete an online form at cleanairclaims.co.uk, preferably before December 31st, 2020.

ENDS

About LGWP Law

LGWP Law is a team of highly experienced lawyers offering professional representation to UK motorists in a group action against the Volkswagen Group over the global diesel emissions case.

LGWP Law is a division of Cardiff based solicitors LG Williams & Prichard, which is one of the oldest law firms in South Wales. Since its foundation in the 1850s the law firm has established a strong reputation for placing clients at the heart of the business providing a personal, friendly and effective service across a wide range of areas of law.

The firm has held a prominent place in the legal sector for over 150 years throughout which the primary focus has been on taking time to nurture trust and address the individual needs of its clients.

Over the years the business has expanded to allow for increasing specialism in order to provide the highest quality legal advice and solutions across different areas of law whether the issue is personal, commercial or general litigation. 

Notes to editors:

*For more information please visit: cleanairclaims.co.uk

*Only vehicles acquired in England and Wales are eligible for this claim. Scotland and Ireland have separate legal systems meaning Scottish and Irish claims cannot currently be included.

*
Survey results: Toluna Insights surveyed 500 people across the UK in August 2020.

* For background facts on the VW Group diesel emissions scandal, see page attached below.

VW GROUP DIESEL EMISSIONS SCANDAL - KEY FACTS TO DATE:

* The VW Group diesel emissions scandal became public in September 2015 when the US Environmental Protection Agency revealed how The VW Group had violated the Clean Air Act. This led to investigations by governmental agencies around the world in the biggest scandal to hit the car industry in decades.

* 11 million vehicles worldwide were fitted with the software referred to as the “defeat device” which VW are accused of using to manipulate diesel emissions tests.

* The UK is the second most seriously impacted country in the world, topped only by Germany with 2.3 million affected cars yet VW still claims there is no legal basis for compensation for 1.2 million customers in the UK.

*Three years ago, the VW Group pleaded guilty to criminal charges in the US and the company paid $4.3bn in civil and criminal penalties alone – the largest levied by the US government against a car company. Criminal charges were also filed against several Volkswagen employees; a few were imprisoned.

* The VW Group settled the class action case filed against the company in the US within months after it was filed, paying more than $10 billion to cover compensation to around 580,000 US claimants on top of the fines and penalties.

* In 2019 the VW Group settled a multimillion-dollar class action case in Australia over the diesel emissions scandal and will pay out between $87m and $127m in compensation.

* In Europe, the VW Group is still denying that the software it used was an illegal defeat device despite German regulators having ruled in 2015 that it was designed to cheat emissions tests and should be removed.

* Following a Preliminary Issues trial in the High Court in December 2019, existing UK claimants proved that the VW Group fitted 1.2million vehicles with defeat devices and cheated emissions testing, resolving one of the major issues of the case in favour of claimants. The VW Group’s attempts to appeal the outcome failed.

* In 2019 former VW Group CEO, Martin Winterkorn and four other employees were charged in Germany with fraud in connection with the scandal.

* In September 2020, a German court announced that in addition to the existing fraud trial, former VW Group CEO, Martin Winterkorn also faces a public trial charged with suspected market manipulation.

* September 2020 saw ex-Audi CEO Rupert Stadler appear before a Munich court on charges including fraud. Stadler is the first top executive from the VW Group to stand trial over the "dieselgate" scandal.

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