SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Legal Newsline) — California Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced May 11 that Judge Charles Breyer of the U.S. District Court for Northern District of California has approved a $250 million settlement with Volkswagen.
“There is no excuse for what those at Volkswagen did,” Becerra said. “They lied to consumers and environmental regulators. They cheated on emissions tests. They did harm to our environment. They put profits before people, and that’s inexcusable. Today's action should serve as further warning to wrongdoers who believe they can run and hide – we will hold you accountable."
Negotiating the settlement were attorneys and technical experts from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Justice, the California Air Resources Board (CARB), and the California Attorney General's Office.
The settlement stems from the “defeat device” software Volkswagen used to bypass emissions controls in its 3.0 liter diesel vehicles. California is set to receive $66 million of the overall settlement and $41 million will go toward air quality mitigation projects selected by CARB and $25 million will go toward CARB programs to help replace polluting cars with zero emission vehicles.
“I want to thank senior assistant attorney general Nicklas Akers, supervising deputy attorney general Judith Fiorentini, deputy attorneys general Jon Worm and Laurel Carnes, and their colleagues in our consumer law, environment, and natural resources law sections, for their efforts to protect California's consumers and environment in this case,” Becerra said.