(October 9, 2015) – Susman Godfrey has filed a nationwide class-action lawsuit against Volkswagen Group of America for secretly using software designed to cheat emissions tests and falsely advertising its vehicles as environmentally friendly.
Filed Sept. 24, the suit claims Volkswagen deceived consumers into purchasing “eco-conscious” “CleanDiesel” vehicles that actually emit up to 40 times the legal limit of nitrogen oxide. Buyers of the 2009 to 2015 Jetta, Beetle, Audi A3 and Golf models and the 2014 to 2015 Passat models are alleged to have paid a significant premium for so-called “CleanDiesel,” but consumers actually received vehicles that cannot even pass state and federal emissions standards.
A copy of the suit, filed in the Central District of California, can be found here and the newly amended complaint, which now includes 18 states, can be found here.
With a long track record of achieving substantial verdicts and settlements for its clients in numerous high-profile cases, Susman Godfrey has been recognized repeatedly for its prowess in plaintiffs’ litigation. Just this month, Law360, published by Portfolio Media, named it for the third consecutive year to its “Most Feared Plaintiffs Firms” list. In addition, The National Law Journal, published by American Lawyer Media, also named the firm to its 2014 “Plaintiffs Hot List.”
“We have successfully taken on some of the biggest corporate entities in the world—and won—securing large settlements on behalf of class members,” said Marc Seltzer, Susman Godfrey’s lead attorney on the Volkswagen case.
The firm’s recent results include an historic $1.6 billion settlement in the Toyota unintended acceleration class action, where Marc Seltzer served as co-lead counsel for the class. The Toyota class received net benefits valued at approximately $1.4 billion.
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More useful information:
2. California Air Resources Board Press Release
3. Wall Street Journal Article discussing the declining value of affected models
