Northern Irish drivers take on VW
Nearly 70,000 Northern Ireland drivers are part of a landmark legal action against Volkswagen.
In the first case of its kind in the country, Belfast law firm Edwards and Co Solicitors has formally issued proceedings on behalf of clients affected by the 2015 scandal, when VW admitted 11 million diesel vehicles worldwide were fitted with software to cheat emissions tests.
According to The Irish News, the action follows several months preparing the claims and liaising with the lead solicitors in London who are running the cases in that jurisdiction.
Dorcas Crawford, senior partner at Edwards and Co Solicitors, said, ‘In the context of this truly global dispute, we wanted to ensure that the rights of our current clients, and Northern Ireland consumers in general, were not left behind, hence the issue of proceedings today.
‘We are pursuing the Volkswagen Group, and a number of its subsidiaries, in the Northern Ireland High Court, in what will ultimately proceed as a Group Action. This will enable us to represent all those affected within the framework of one case.
‘To assist those wishing to claim we have launched a dedicated website at www.vwemissionclaimsni.com which makes it simple to check whether you own an affected vehicle and, if so, to register your potential claim. The website contains detailed information on all aspects of the case and we urge anyone who thinks they may have been affected to get in touch.’
In legal cases against VW in Britain, the average payout to past and present owners of an affected vehicle has been in the region of £3,000.
