Court throws out complaint against car importer
A Zurich court has rejected a legal complaint by a consumer group against an importer of German Volkswagen diesel cars into Switzerland amid the highly publicised emissions-rigging scandal.
The judges argued that the SKS consumer groupExternal link had no case as the scandal had been known for a while, according to statement by the SKS organisation published on Wednesday. Because the case was public knowledge for some time, the court determined that no legal deception had taken place.
The organisation strongly criticised the decision, saying it amounted to the abolition of representative action – a lawsuit for the enforcement of a corporate right.
SKS announced it will appeal against the ruling at the Supreme Court.
For its part, the Amag company, the largest importer of Volkswagens into Switzerland, has welcomed the decision by the Zurich commercial court.
However, the ruling does not affect a separate claim for damages filed by the consumer group on behalf of about 6,000 Volkswagen diesel cars owners in Switzerland, SKS said.
+ Swiss prosecutor’s office handles VW complaints
The Volkswagen emissions scandal began in September 2015, when the Environmental Protection Agency in the United States accused the Volkswagen group of violation of environmental laws.
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