ALBANY – The Porsche, Audi and Volkswagen emissions scandal is headed to court.
Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has joined his Massachusetts counterpart, Maura Healey, to accuse the German automaker and its U.S. subsidiaries of plotting to circumvent environmental laws by installing devices that made it appear their diesel cars met emissions standards.
The AGs claim in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that top executives, including CEO, Martin Winterkorn, directed a cover-up and destroyed documents as the federal Environmental Protection Agency caught wind of the scheme.
“These suits should serve as a siren in every corporate board room, that if any company engages in this type of calculated and systematic illegality, we will bring the full force of the law—and seek the stiffest possible sanctions—to protect our citizens,” Schneiderman said.
The company rewarded board members who oversaw the cover-up with bonuses totaling more than $70 million, according to Schneiderman.
He blasted the companies for creating “a culture of deeply-rooted corporate arrogance, combined with a conscious disregard” for laws, public health and the environment.
More than 25,000 of the suspect autos were sold in New York and 15,000 were sold in Massachusetts, the AGs claim.
Despite the fact that consumers were told they were buying “clean and green” cars, the emissions systems were so “shoddy” they would have broken down in less than 50,000 miles without the devices, the lawsuit claims.
That resulted in thousands of tons of pollutants released into the air, contributing to ozone levels that cause air quality alerts and create an increased risk of asthma and other lung problems, according to the court complaint.
The lawsuit comes on the heels of a partial settlement that the states claim failed to cover damages to their residents.