Volkswagen to pay more than $25 million in a lawsuit

Ohio’s Supreme Court allowed the state’s attorney general to continue with a lawsuit against Volkswagen AG over its “Dieselgate” scandal and manipulation of emissions-control systems, on Tuesday. Justice Michael Donnelly said the case can result in a more than $1 trillion judgment. In 2015, it admitted to having secretly used illegal software to evade emissions rules and pleaded guilty in 2017 to conspiracy and obstruction of justice.

Volkswagen has agreed to pay more than $25 billion in the United States for claims from owners, environmental regulators, states, and dealers, and has offered to buy back about 500,000 polluting U.S. vehicles. The court ruled 6-1 that the federal Clean Air Act did not pre-empt state law-based claims that Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost is pursuing, or prohibit state oversight after a vehicle or engine is sold.