The parties have proposed settlement for a lawsuit addressing claims of defects in certain 2005-2020 gasoline-powered Porsche vehicles that provides a fund of at least $80 million to compensate class members. The settlement class is defined as “a nationwide class of all persons (including individuals and entities) who own, owned, lease, or leased a Class Vehicle,” with the Class Vehicles including about 500,000 Porsche gasoline vehicles, model years 2005-2020.
On June 15, 2022, the plaintiffs filed an unopposed motion for preliminary approval of class settlement in Porsche gasoline litigation. The plaintiffs alleged defendant Volkswagen engaged in two practices to skew the emissions and fuel economy test results for such vehicles: one tactic of physically altering test vehicles that impacted CO2 emissions and fuel economy results, and a second that impacted emissions test results of certain vehicles with a high-performance “Sport+” mode.
The proposed settlement establishes three categories of compensation. The first, “Fuel Economy Cash Benefits,” pertains to class members who purchased a fuel economy class vehicle who would have paid more for gasoline and had to visit the gas station more frequently than they would have due to a possible deviation in fuel economy in the relevant vehicles. These class members would be eligible for $250-$1,109 per class vehicle, correlating to the vehicle’s revised fuel economy ratings and the number of months they possessed the vehicle.
The second compensation category, “Sport+ Cash Benefits,” would provide an automatic $250 to class members whose vehicles have a high-performance Sport+ Mode that are the subject of an ongoing recall. The third compensation category, “Other Class Vehicle Cash Benefits,” provides up to $200 to class members for whom emissions or fuel economy deviations were not identified in the parties’ investigation and testing efforts, but which could have experienced a discrepancy given the timing and circumstances of their vehicles’ development and manufacture.
The parties have requested a hearing on the motion on July 22, 2022.
The case is In re: Volkswagen “Clean Diesel” Marketing, Sales Practices, and Products Liability Litigation, case number 3:15-md-02672, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.
You can read the proposed settlement below:
