VW’s buyback plan in U.S. may affect Korean lawsuit

Volkswagen’s recent legal settlement with the U.S. government, which is expected to be finalized this June, may affect the final verdict of the class action lawsuit involving VW diesel car owners here, a Korean attorney said Friday.

The German carmaker reached a $1 billion deal with the U.S. government, agreeing to offer its scandal-hit diesel car owners in the U.S. buybacks, repairs and compensation. 

Details of the deal are unknown due to the judge’s order to keep the terms confidential. However, the judge said Volkswagen will offer car owners “substantial compensation” under the undisclosed deal.

“The Volkswagen case in the U.S. will affect similar ongoing legal cases in many countries, including the class action lawsuit here,” local law firm Barun lawyer Ha Jong-sun told The Korea Herald by phone.

“We may also contact Volkswagen Korea to initiate talks to resolve the conflict (based on the U.S. court decision),” Ha added.

The local law firm is currently leading a class-action suit against the German carmaker on behalf of 4,338 customers who bought Volkswagen diesel car models that rigged results of their emissions tests. Their key requests include a payback plan.

In response to the impact of the U.S. deal on the Korean case, Volkswagen Korea said that getting its recall plan approved by the Korean government should come first, before starting a discussion on compensation.

The deal in the U.S. affects nearly half a million Volkswagens with two-liter, four-cylinder diesel engines, most of them dating to the 2009 model.

No agreement has yet been reached on 90,000 or more vehicles with three-liter, six-cylinder diesel engines, leaving the emissions cheating unresolved in many countries. 

By Hong Sung-pyo (hong1@heraldcorp.com)