Quebec Superior Court on Wednesday authorized a class-action lawsuit against Volkswagen over the “dieselgate” scandal.
The lawsuit is different from other class actions related to the emissions-cheating scandal in that this one is in the name all Quebecers, not only people who owned or leased Volkswagen vehicles. It seeks $35 in punitive damages for every Quebecer.
The class action targets several entities, including Volkswagen Group Canada Inc. and Audi Canada Inc.
It was brought forward by the Association québécoise de lutte contre la pollution atmosphérique (AQLPA), an environmental group.
The lawsuit targets several models including the Jetta, the Golf and the Beetle, sold between 2009 and 2015.
The case will focus on whether the vehicles met Canadian environmental standards, if they were equipped with software that distorted the results of pollutant emissions, if they emitted pollution beyond what is allowed by Canadian standards, and if the builders intentionally falsified the devices.
AQLPA president André Bélisle said he was pleased with this first win.
“It basically confirms our rights to a healthy environment and also the obligation to respect environmental law,” he said.
“We are reviewing the court’s decision on this first procedural step and are in the process of determining what to do,” a Volkswagen spokesperson said.
Other applications for class-action suits have been filed in Montreal for the benefit of people who bought or leased the vehicles in question.