SPG Law instructs Exchange Chambers on “Dieselgate” class action

July 1, 2019

A number of barristers from Exchange Chambers have been instructed by SPG Law to advise on the Volkswagen “Dieselgate” class action.

SPG Law are acting for over 16,000 car owners who bought a diesel VW, Audi, Skoda or Seat car between 2008 and 2015.

On the 18 September 2015 it was first alleged by US authorities that VW had sought to cheat the US emissions testing regime in respect of NOx emissions by fitting their vehicles with illegal “defeat devices”.  The German authorities confirmed shortly thereafter that vehicles fitted with similar software had been sold across Europe.

It has been estimated that around 1.2 million vehicles containing the “defeat device” have been supplied to purchasers in the UK.

The company has paid tens of billions of dollars in compensation and fines in the United States and a €1 billion fine in Germany.  Litigation is ongoing across the world, including in Brazil and Australia.  As of yet, VW have not paid any compensation to SPG’s clients in the UK who purchased affected vehicles.

VW owners and former owners could be entitled to up to 100% of the value of their vehicles in one of the largest class actions ever seen involving almost 90,000 claimants.

Gareth Shires has been instructed by SPG Law to deal with all aspects of the litigation.  In addition, he is instructed by the Steering Committee, a group of the three firms with the largest number of clients, to represent all of the claimants as part of a larger counsel team.

David Mohyuddin QC has advised SPG as to the merits of the claim generally.

A preliminary hearing is fixed for 10 days in December 2019 to deal with the question of whether the vehicles were in fact fitted with a “defeat device” within the meaning of the relevant European Regulations.