Spain court orders Volkswagen to pay car owner over emissions scandal News
Spain court orders Volkswagen to pay car owner over emissions scandal

A Spanish court ordered [press release, in Spanish] automobile manufacturer Volkswagen (VW) [corporate website] and its subsidiary in Valladolid to pay €5,006 in a lawsuit regarding its emissions scandal. VW has been accused of implementing software [JURIST report] in its vehicles that could cheat emissions tests. The plaintiff was an owner of an Audi Q5 purchased in 2013 for about €50,000. Although the plaintiff sued for the entire value of the car, the judge estimated that the altered software has caused a 10 percent decrease [El Mundo report, in Spanish] in the value of the car. This is the first of six VW lawsuits in Spain that have resulted in a loss for the car company.

VW is facing legal difficulty around the world over the emissions scandal. This ruling comes just days after a US judge approved [JURIST report] a $14.7 billion settlement between VW and the US Department of Justice , the Federal Trade Commission, the state of California and car owners who filed a class action lawsuit over the company’s emissions scandal. In September a German court said VW faces over USD $8.2 billion in damage claims from investors. That same month, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission sued [JURIST report] VW and its local subsidiary for misleading customers. In August a district court in Germany ruled [JURIST report] that a collective complaint against VW may move forward. Like US-style class-action lawsuits, the collective complaint was launched on behalf of multiple investors who lost money following the diesel emissions cheating scandal. Last March the US FTC filed suit [JURIST report] against VW for false advertising.

THIS DAY @ LAW

38 Santee Sioux hanged by US for rebellion

On December 26, 1862, 38 Santee Sioux men were hanged in a mass execution for their roles in a rebellion against US authorities in Minnesota which left hundreds dead and made refugees of some 40,000 white settlers. Government annuities promised under a treaty with the Sioux had failed to arrive on schedule and credit for purchases was not advanced in the meantime, threatening the tribe with starvation. The Santee Sioux Tribe's members were deported first to South Dakota and ultimately to Nebraska, where they remain today. Learn more about the 1862 Minnesota Sioux Rebellion.

Louis XVI put on trial during French Revolution

On December 26, 1792, Romain de Sèze, a defense attorney for deposed King Louis XVI, presented a defense of his client. The former King was on trial before a French Revolutionary court on thirty-three charges, including treason and other crimes against the state. He was convicted on January 15, 1793 executed by guillotine on the following January 21.