Served on the Court-appointed Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee and helped secure multiple settlements totaling more than $14 billion in litigation against Volkswagen over its “clean diesel” emissions fraud
Plaintiff(s):
Vehicle owners and lessees of Volkswagen and Audi diesel cars
Case type / claims:
Consumer fraud, product liability and environmental class action alleging Volkswagen installed “defeat devices” in its diesel vehicles to cheat emissions tests, resulting in false marketing, reduced vehicle value and widespread environmental harm.
Defendant(s):
Volkswagen AG, Audi AG, and Bosch GmbH
Jurisdiction:
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
Year:
2016
Outcome:
- Helped secure $14.7 billion in settlements for 2.0-liter vehicles, including vehicle buybacks or repairs, owner compensation of $5,100–$10,000, and a $2.7 billion environmental mitigation fund.
- $1 billion settlement for 3.0-liter vehicles and $338 million Bosch settlement.
- One of the largest consumer and environmental settlements in U.S. history, delivering restitution to hundreds of thousands of vehicle owners and advancing national emissions accountability.
