DOJ indicts six Volkswagen employees over conspiracy to cheat emissions tests News
DOJ indicts six Volkswagen employees over conspiracy to cheat emissions tests

The US Department of Justice [official website] on Wednesday announced [statement] that six high-ranking Volkswagen (VW) employees were indicted for their roles in a potential conspiracy to cheat emissions testing. At the same time as the announcement, Attorney General Loretta Lynch [official website] announced that VW pleaded guilty [JURIST report] to three criminal felony charges and to pay a multi-billion dollar penalty. Those indicted include former VW head of engine development Jens Hadler, diesel engine engineer Richard Dorenkamp, former head of development Hainz-Jakob Neusser, quality manager Bernd Gottweis, former environment and qualify manager Juergen Peter. Justifying the pursuit of charges against individuals, Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates [official website] stated that “faceless multinational corporations don’t commit crimes; flesh and blood people commit crimes.”

VW has been steeply penalized internationally for a scandal [JURIST op-ed] that saw the automaker cheat emissions standards with software designed to fool testing equipment. Earlier this week corporate executive Oliver Schmidt was arrested [JURIST report] by the FBI on charges that he had conspired to defraud the US. VW faces sanctions in South Korea, Spain, Germany and Australia in addition to other sanctions [JURIST reports] in the US. The EU announced [JURIST report] in December a plan to hold member nations accountable for VW’s fraud, increasing the likelihood that other states may be added to the list of those suing the automaker.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Justice Department brings anit-trust action against AT&T

On November 20, 1974, the Department of Justice filed its final anti-trust suit against AT&T. United States v. AT&T was ultimately settled out of court with an agreement that the corporation would break up its monopoly on phone service throughout the country.

Nuremberg war crimes trials began

On November 20, 1945, the war crimes trials of Nazi World War II leaders began in the German city of Nuremberg. Review the Nuremberg Tribunal's Charter and the verdicts and sentences handed down on major war figures.

Winston Churchill born

On November 20, 1874, Sir Winston Churchill was born in Woodstock, England. He would go on to lead the United Kingdom as Prime Minister through World War II. Toward the end of the war, Churchill worked with US President Franklin D. Roosevelt to craft the treaties and accords that have defined the world since WWII. A 2002 poll by the BBC declared Churchill the Greatest Briton of all time.

New Jersey ratifies Bill of Rights

New Jersey ratified the Bill of Rights, a set of 10 fundamental amendments to the US Constitution, on November 20, 1789, becoming the first state to do so. The state also ratified an amendment on federal representation which ultimately failed. Additionally, New Jersey rejected an amendment on congressional salaries, which would eventually become the 27th Amendment more than 200 years later. Read the articles ratified by New Jersey.