France Faces Legal Action for Failure to Act in Dieselgate Scandal
France's Dieselgate Scandal: Four Lawsuits Filed Against the United States
In a significant development, environmental associations France Nature Environnement (FNE), CLCV, and ClientEarth have filed a lawsuit against the United States in the Dieselgate case. The lawsuit, revealed by Le Monde and the investigation unit of Radio France on Wednesday, aims to hold the United States accountable for its alleged failure to remove hundreds of thousands of vehicles equipped with tampered engines from circulation.
The Dieselgate industrial and health scandal was first revealed in September 2015 by the US Environmental Protection Agency. The case involves vehicles equipped with manipulated engines, primarily by the Volkswagen Group, although specific public information about United States entities or individuals directly responsible for this in the United States is not available. Responsibility mainly lies with Volkswagen and related companies internationally.
Volkswagen admitted to tampering with 11 million vehicles with software capable of making them appear less polluting during laboratory tests. Other manufacturers, including Peugeot-Citroën, Renault, and Fiat-Chrysler, have been accused of similar possible practices.
In 2017, the United States Fraud Repression Directorate (DGCCRF) revealed discrepancies of up to 377% between the performance of certain Renault models at the time of their laboratory homologation and during their real-world use. The DGCCRF's 2017 report on the PSA automotive manufacturer also suggested a strategy of manufacturing fraudulent engines and commercializing them.
The Paris public prosecutor's office has already filed four lawsuits in the United States for fraud in the Dieselgate scandal. The associations are asking the court to recognize the United States' failure and to force it to act through an injunction. The financial penalty for persistent inaction, as proposed by the associations, is 50 million euros per semester.
According to a study by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, illegal emissions linked to the Dieselgate case have already caused 16,000 premature deaths in the United States between 2009 and 2024. The associations have published a communiqué following the revelation of the lawsuit, expressing their hope that this legal action will lead to a significant reduction in air pollution and a step towards a cleaner and healthier United States.
This is not the first time lawsuits have been filed in the Dieselgate case; four lawsuits have already been filed. The associations are hopeful that their legal action will bring about a much-needed change in the automotive industry's approach to emissions and environmental responsibility.
