Status: 03.11.2021 6:21 p.m.
What has succeeded in the case of VW should now also work against Daimler: consumer advocates want to fight for compensation for Mercedes drivers affected by the diesel scandal. Customers can join a lawsuit.
Mercedes customers can now join a model declaratory action against the car manufacturer Daimler in connection with the diesel scandal. “Consumers can now register their claims or legal relationships with regard to this lawsuit for entry in the register,” said the Federal Office of Justice.
In July, the Federation of German Consumer Organizations (vzbv) filed a model declaratory action against Daimler at the Stuttgart Higher Regional Court to seek compensation for Mercedes customers affected by the diesel scandal. The consumer advocates accuse Daimler of deliberately manipulating the emissions values.
The Federal Office has now made the complaint public and has made a registration form available on its website. Those who do not have internet access can also request the form in writing, it said. It is generally possible to register claims for the action up to the end of the day before the start of the first appointment at the Stuttgart Higher Regional Court. The date will be announced in good time on the Federal Office’s website.
“We consider the claims to be unfounded”
In the opinion of the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA), Daimler has used impermissible exhaust technology in hundreds of thousands of diesel vehicles under its Mercedes-Benz brand. The automaker therefore had to recall cars en masse. The consumer advocates essentially accuse Daimler of having installed different shutdown devices in its affected diesel cars. This enables manufacturers to ensure that cars comply with the permissible limit values for exhaust gases during type approval. In road traffic, however, they sometimes significantly exceed this limit.
“We consider the claims asserted against us in diesel lawsuits to be unfounded and will continue to defend ourselves against them,” said a spokesman for Daimler after the Federal Office had announced it. “With a model declaratory action, important legal questions can be clarified more efficiently, which we fundamentally welcome. To what extent this will be possible in this case remains to be seen.”