US judge issues final approval on $80M Volkswagen, Porsche class action settlement News
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US judge issues final approval on $80M Volkswagen, Porsche class action settlement

US District Judge for the Northern District of California Charles Breyer Wednesday granted final approval of Volkswagen and Porsche’s $80 million settlement of a class action lawsuit. The companies were accused of manipulation of fuel economy and fuel emission tests for nearly 500,000 gasoline-powered Porsche class vehicles with a model year between 2005-2020. Judge Breyer also granted approximately $25 million in attorneys’ fees and costs to class members.

This finalized settlement ends litigation over Volkswagen’s “clean diesel” marketing, sales practices and product liability that began in December 2015. The settlement benefits vary depending on if the class member belongs to the Fuel Economy Class Members and submitted a valid claim (ranging from $250 to $1,109.66), Sports+ Class Members who bring in their vehicle(s) for a software update even if they did not submit a claim ($250), or Other Class Vehicle Class Members who could have been impacted ($200).

Last week, Volkswagen announced that it aims “to mak[e] its data center operations net carbon-neutral” by 2027. In 2018, Volkswagon “was the first automaker to commit to the Paris climate agreement” and aims to be carbon neutral by 2050.

The settlement approval comes as “countries come together to take action towards achieving the world’s collective climate goals as agreed under the Paris Agreement and the Convention” during the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference.