PHOENIX (Legal Newsline) – Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich announced that his office filed a consumer fraud lawsuit against Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche for alleged fraud involving false advertising, sales and leasing of so-called environmentally friendly, low-emission clean diesel cars.
“This appears to be one of the largest cases of false advertising we have ever seen and Arizona will be at the forefront of a nationwide effort to hold Volkswagen financially accountable,” Brnovich said. “By filing this lawsuit, we are ensuring Arizonans who were defrauded are best positioned to receive the restitution they’re entitled to.”
According to the state’s lawsuit, Volkswagen marketed certain vehicles as “clean.” The state believes this is clear fraud, as Volkswagen recently admitted that it installed “defeat device” software into diesel engines so as to circumvent the EPA’s pre-sale certification testing. Vehicles with these engines could then appear to be more efficient and cleaner than they actually were.
An estimated 4,000 Arizonans own these clean diesel cars.
Civil Litigation Division Chief Counsel Paul Watkins and Assistant Attorney General Evan Daniels are handling the case.