Oklahoma AG sues Volkswagen for emissions scandal

Oklahoma’s attorney general of the United States has actually taken legal action against Volkswagen Group, alleging the automaker purposefully skirted federal emissions standards to the hindrance of Oklahoma customers.

In a lawsuit submitted recently in Oklahoma County District Court, Attorney General Scott Pruitt accuses the German car manufacturer of creating “clean diesel” engines with a system to alter their fuel effectiveness during emissions testing. As an outcome, authorities state, cars with this engine operated far above their checked emissions levels on normal highways.

The state is looking for civil charges of as much as $12,000 per alleged infraction of the Oklahoma Consumer Protection Act, plus extra payment for damages the court might identify to be appropriate.

A Volkswagen spokeswoman did not return calls Tuesday afternoon requesting comment on the Oklahoma case, however the company has acknowledged equipping automobiles with software application that noticed when the vehicles were being tested by regulators. The automaker is negotiating a settlement with authorities in federal court in San Francisco on how it will repair or redeem about 500,000 diesels sold in the country.