Volkswagen Emissions Scandal Settlement Is On Track, Judge Says

Original Story: latimes.com

Volkswagen and attorneys for vehicle owners affected by the company's emissions cheating scandal are on target to meet a June deadline for a final settlement proposal, a federal judge said Tuesday.   Even a Pikeville defective product lawyer has been hearing about the pending case.

Senior U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer said the parties have made substantial progress in reaching a deal for nearly half a million polluting Volkswagens in the U.S.

Breyer announced a tentative agreement last month that would give owners the option of having Volkswagen buy back or repair their vehicles. A Los Angeles product liability lawyer says this would be thousands of cars in California alone.

The judge did not provide any additional details about the ongoing talks.

The scandal erupted in September when it was learned that the German automaker had fitted many of its cars with software to fool emissions tests and had put dirty vehicles on the road. Car owners and the Justice Department sued.

VW, the U.S. Department of Justice and attorneys for Volkswagen owners have until June 21 to file a final settlement with the court.

Many questions remain unanswered, including how much money owners can expect in a buyback and how much additional compensation beyond repairs and buybacks they'll receive.

Breyer has the authority to reject any final deal that the parties propose. A Jackson product liability lawyer expects the money to be huge.

The tentative deal announced last month covers about 482,000 Volkswagens with 2-liter, four-cylinder diesel engines. It did not cover about 90,000 Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche diesel vehicles with 3-liter, six-cylinder engines.

Breyer said engineering studies and testing of those vehicles were ongoing. The tentative deal also does not cover potential fines and penalties. A Chicago product liability lawyer says the fines may be astronomical.

Volkswagen said in a statement after the hearing that it was pleased it has continued to make progress in settlement talks, and it thanked U.S. customers for their continued patience.