Dutch claim group welcomes German ruling in Volkswagen emissions scandal
The Dutch foundation taking car maker Volkswagen to court on behalf of 8.5 million car owners to demand compensation for manipulating emissions tests has welcomed a German court ruling in favour of one car owner and is pressing ahead with legal action of its own.
The Diesel Emissions Justice Foundation said in March it will take advantage of new legislation in the Netherlands allowing mass claims if Volkswagen refused to reach a settlement.
‘The net is closing around Volkswagen,’ foundation director Femke Hendriks said. ‘This ruling in Germany again creates a precedent, because the underlying legislation is very similar in all member states of the European Union.’
On Monday, Germany’s top civil court ruled against Volkswagen in the first case brought by a car owner against the company for fiddling emissions tests. The ruling sets a precedent for thousands more cases, Deutsche Welle reported.
Monday’s ruling is a clear signal and will have consequences for Dutch victims who have not yet had a euro from Volkswagen, the Dutch consumers association Consumentenbond, which is supporting the foundation, said.
‘Volkswagen has continued to reject our request for talks by saying there are no grounds to do so,’ director Sandra Molenaar said. ‘The court documents are ready and they will be soon sent.’
Thank you for donating to DutchNews.nl.
We could not provide the Dutch News service, and keep it free of charge, without the generous support of our readers. Your donations allow us to report on issues you tell us matter, and provide you with a summary of the most important Dutch news each day.
Make a donation