Volkswagen asks U.S. Supreme Court to reverse ruling on local emissions claims

REUTERS

Volkswagen AG and a German auto supplier on Tuesday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse a lower-court ruling that said two counties could seek financial penalties over excess diesel emissions that could total billions of dollars.

The German automaker’s U.S. unit and Robert Bosch LLC asked the U.S. high court to reverse a unanimous ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit that said Utah’s Salt Lake County and Florida’s Hillsborough County could seek “staggering” damages over updates made to polluting diesel vehicles after they were sold.

Volkswagen settled U.S. criminal and civil actions prompted by the emissions scandal for more than $20 billion, but that did not shield it from local and state government liability, the appeals court found, noting they were “mindful that our conclusion may result in staggering liability for Volkswagen.” read more »