For consumer advocates, this is a partial success: Mercedes-Benz has installed illegal stop devices in certain diesel vehicles. This follows from a declarative model ruling of the Stuttgart Higher Regional Court, announced on Thursday by Judge Thilo Rebmann.
Lawsuit after diesel scandal
This means that consumer advocates have partially prevailed in the lawsuit they filed against Mercedes in the wake of the diesel scandal.
In the model lawsuit, the association focused on vehicles with a specific engine type from the Stuttgart automaker, which in 2018 and 2019 were affected by recall notices from the Federal Road Transport Authority (KBA). According to KBA, Mercedes had installed illegal disconnection devices in this vehicle and had therefore restricted the cleaning of the diesel exhaust gases. Mercedes denied the allegations at the time.
Mercedes wants to appeal
It was initially unclear how many car owners might now be entitled to compensation. According to the Federal Association of Consumer Organizations (vzbv), about 2,800 people joined the lawsuit. However, the chamber also dismissed parts of the lawsuit. Furthermore, both consumer advocates and Mercedes can still appeal the ruling to the Federal Court of Justice. Only if the Karlsruhe ruling is upheld will consumers be able to assert their right to compensation. However, they have to do it themselves.
Shortly after the verdict, Mercedes announced it would appeal. “We take a different legal opinion than the court,” a spokesperson said. They continue to consider the accusations against the company unfounded and will defend themselves against them.
According to “The Shareholder”, partial success has almost no impact on the stock market. Immediately after the verdict, Mercedes-Benz shares were little changed.
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