Martin Winterkorn

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Thousands of British drivers have won The First leg of The High Court lawsuit against Volkswagen about the installation of emissions-fraud devices in their diesel vehicles.

the following is a preliminary hearing in December, when The Court was asked whether the software installed in The Cars of a "defeat device" under EU rules.

In a ruling on Monday, Mr justice Waksman decided that it was.

Volkswagen said it was "disappointed" and said, can appeal against the decision.

A spokesman for The German car manufacturer said: "clearly, today's decision to determine liability or any issues of causation or loss for each of the causes of action asserted. This will be determined by The Court , as the case goes on. "

The case heard in The High Court is the latest in a global storm of litigation-oriented VW.

So Far , The Group has paid out €30 billion (£26bn) in the world.

About 90,000 motorists in England and Wales, action against VW as well as Audi, Seat and Skoda, also owned by the Volkswagen Group .

you are looking for a replacement in a case, it could be the largest Consumer Action in English Legal History .

The so-called "diesel-gate" scandal broke in September 2015.

The use of defeat devices meant that Volkswagen certified cars to comply to the EU environmental standards. But in reality the vehicles will be irradiated up to 40 times the legally permitted amount of Nitrogen Dioxide .

Volkswagen doggedly was by the diesel vehicle emissions testing scandal since 2015

The German car maker admitted that 11 million vehicles Worldwide , including almost 1. 2 million in the UK, were affected.

Since then, senior leaders, including chief executive Martin Winterkorn descended, while some were charged with criminal offences in Germany and the USA.

'Completely irrelevant'

The High Court's verdict not only applies to VW vehicles, but also for those manufactured by Audi, Seat and Skoda.

Mr justice Waksman described some of Volkswagen 's arguments that the vehicles contain a defeat device as "completely irrelevant", "hopeless" and "very poor".

Depending on who you talk to, this is either a judgment which confirmed that a misconduct on the part of Volkswagen , and exerts a strong pressure on The Company to reach a solution - or change absolutely nothing.

The reality is that The Judge has a couple of specific points, and it was heavily put over the arguments of the Auto giant.

But the dispute has yet to go a very long way to go.

The background is, of course, a world-wide scandal that VW has met that cost tens of billions of pounds in money and compensation, left blood on the boardroom floor, stained his reputation and led to an Executive is in prison in the United States.

But here in the UK, Volkswagen has denied consistently with the forbidden to defeat the device, and insists his customers are not losses, So There is no need for compensation have suffered.

And, despite Monday's ruling party, the characters there are to stick to plans to his weapons.

Gareth Pope, who heads the law Department at Slater and Gordon, the equivalent of about 70,000 applicants, said: “This damning verdict has confirmed what our customers have known for a long time, but VW has to accept refused to: namely, that the VW built-in defeat devices in millions of vehicles in the UK, in order to cheat the emissions testing.

He added: “the VW is to convince a complete failure to The Court of the merits of the means of his case, that it is now certainly time for you to make these claims and put this shameful episode behind them. "

A spokesman for VW said: "Volkswagen remains confident in our case, We Are not obligated to the plaintiff as alleged and the plaintiff had suffered no loss. We will continue to defend our position very strongly.

"Nothing in this decision today, this is changing. "

diesel emissions scandal, volkswagen, car industry, companies

Source of news: bbc.com