Volkswagen does not want to hand over$ 35 in each Quebec

Antoine Lacroix

Saturday, 24 February, 2018 00:07

UPDATE
Saturday, 24 February, 2018 00:07

Look at this article

The authorization of a collective action to compensate the population of quebec who had to breathe the air polluted by diesel engines rigged Volkswagen has been appealed by the company on Friday.

A request has been served by the manufacturers Volkswagen and Audi for permission to appeal the judgment of the permission made in January last by judge Daniel Dumais, in which it denounces “the motivation is purely political, which hosted” the Association québécoise de lutte contre la pollution atmosphérique (AQLPA), a founder of the remedies which could allow to every resident of Quebec to claim the $35.

“Errors” of the judge

They believe that the judge “committed manifest errors and decisive” in accepting the appeal, which “[has the effect of the transform] in the procedure of punitive damages or in a commission of inquiry into the actions ” of Volkswagen and Audi.

We demand the intervention of the Court of appeal since, according to the manufacturers, it may not “conclude that the existence of an arguable case” and that it would allow any resident of quebec, who has not even suffered any prejudice, to take an action.

The judge had stated that it is possible that Quebec may have been affected, but that this possibility remained hypothetical.

“Is it not precisely here that an attack is intentional, and not accidental, to the rights of the citizens themselves. If the State does nothing, or if the sanctions are minimal, encourage-t-it is not the repetition of such scenarios ? […] The case, as presented, needed to be discussed “, had written the judge Dumais.

Defiance of the laws,

The AQLPA deeply regrets the decision of German car manufacturers.

“It is the height of absurdity ! They admitted that they have cheated, and they want to make a call, ” said André Bélisle, president of the organization and representative of the class action. It is a defiance of the laws of québec. They trample on our right to clean air and environment healthy. “

Photo taken from Facebook

André Bélisle, representing a class action

According to Mr. Bélisle, Volkswagen and Audi have decided to ” live in denial and prioritize profits above human health.”

The “Dieselgate” is born in 2015, when it was discovered that Volkswagen had equipped some cars with a device to distort the test results of pollutant emissions between 2009 and 2015.

Permission to appeal a judgment rendered in the course of proceedings will be presented on April 23 at the palace of justice of Quebec.