U.S. judge throws away emissions lawsuit against Mercedes

A U.S. judge in New Jersey on Tuesday threw away a proposed class action lawsuit claiming that car manufacturer Mercedes deceived clients about emissions requirements in “BlueTec Clean Diesel” automobiles.

U.S. District Judge Jose Linares informed the plaintiffs/complainants did not have standing to bring the case.

Plaintiffs accused Mercedes wrongly marketed the BlueTec cars as having lower emissions. They stated that they later discovered that the emissions were higher than U.S. standards allowed.

The judge informed the plaintiffs failed to reveal they saw any of Mercedes’ advertisements promoting the cleaner innovation. He provided leave to modify their complaint.

Diesel automobile makers in the U.S. have been under more scrutiny than ever because Volkswagen confessed in September 2015 to rig U.S. diesel emissions tests. Volkswagen then agreed to pay $15.3 billion in settlements for owners in addition to state and federal regulators.

In April, the United States Department of Justice asked Daimler to examine the emissions accreditation procedure for its Mercedes vehicles. The car manufacturer stated it would cooperate with U.S. authorities, however has not admitted to any misconduct.

The BlueTec system utilizes urea to eliminate nitric oxide fumes from automobile emissions. It is used generally in much heavier vehicles like sports utility vehicles or Daimler’s big limousines.