December 20, 2016

California announced an additional $66 million settlement with Volkswagen over the company’s use of “defeat device” software to bypass emissions controls in its Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche 3.0-liter diesel vehicles, in violation of California’s environmental laws. The settlement, in which California will receive $66 million to mitigate environmental harm, including $25 million to provide incentives for the purchase of zero emission vehicles, is part of a $225 million nationwide agreement, which the California Attorney General’s office negotiated alongside the California Air Resources Board, the U.S. Department of Justice, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This is the third partial settlement following a landmark $14.7 billion agreement with Volkswagen over defeat devices in its 2.0-liter diesel vehicles (of which $1.18 billion will flow to California) and a settlement California obtained from Volkswagen for $86 million in civil penalties. CA

Tagged in: Environmental Fraud,