AUGUSTA, Maine (Legal Newsline) – Maine Attorney General Janet T. Mills announced a lawsuit Jan. 6 against Volkswagen AG and its affiliates Audi AG and Porsche AG, as well as their American subsidiaries, for allegedly selling diesel automobiles with defeat devices designed to circumvent emissions controls.
Approximately 3,500 of these vehicles were sold in the state of Maine.
“We will not tolerate the flouting of our state’s environmental laws, the legacy of Senators Ed Muskie and George Mitchell,” Mills said. “We will enforce Maine’s environmental standards and will not allow offenders to view serious violations of law as some sort of cost-of-doing-business when they get caught.
"Our air, water and natural resources and the health of our people are more important than a corporation’s bottom line. We will seek substantial penalties from the Volkswagen companies for these serious violations.”
Mills’ lawsuit comes on the heels of the car companies’ federal settlements of claims for consumer relief and their agreement to establish a fund to mitigate environmental damage caused by their alleged deception. Mills’ office notes that these earlier settlements do not resolve claims for civil penalties that Maine and other states may bring.