Volkswagen Group Diesel Efficiency Foundation (VGDES) and the Consumentenbond Announce that Court Once Again Rules Against Volkswagen in Dutch Dieselgate Proceedings
On Friday October 6, 2023, the Sub-District Court of Oost-Brabant (‘s-Hertogenbosch) ruled that Volkswagen must compensate yet another Dutch Dieselgate consumer who purchased a VW vehicle containing illegal defeat device software. The Court ruled that Volkswagen must pay €4440 - the equivalent of 10% of the vehicle’s purchase price.
This is the latest of four lawsuits brought by the Volkswagen Group Diesel Efficiency Foundation (VGDES) (a Dutch organization representing consumer rights) and Consumentenbond (the Dutch consumer rights organization) on behalf of consumers defrauded by VW. Earlier this year, in March, April and July 2023, other Dutch courts all ruled against Volkswagen finding that it must pay damages to Dutch consumers who similarly purchased vehicles equipped with illegal software. In those prior rulings, the courts awarded €3,000 for an impacted new VW diesel vehicle and €1,500 for a used one. In this latest opinion, the judge increased the penalty finding that those amounts were too low, and determining that the appropriate sanction was a percentage of the vehicle’s purchase price.
A Fourth Defeat for Volkswagen
“This is the fourth time in a row that the Court has ruled against Volkswagen,” said Dick Bouma, chairman of VGDES. “The judge swept aside all VW’s technical legal defenses, and simply found that the car maker deceived consumers. Courts here and all over the world have determined that the company has deliberately misled consumers, including by promoting these diesel cars as environmentally friendly. It is time for Volkswagen to compensate harmed consumers.”
Volkswagen Should Resolve the Claims of the Hundreds of Thousands Dutch Consumers
Sandra Molenaar, Consumentenbond CEO, is pleased with the ruling and looks ahead: “So far we have won all four lawsuits against VW concerning its illegal use of defeat device software in diesel cars. Following this even stronger decision, we again invite Volkswagen to engage in settlement talks. Hopefully, the company is now prepared to compensate all affected Dutch consumers. If not, there are thousands of individual cases we can file against the Company. And, if necessary, we will take each and every case to court to hold Volkswagen accountable and to force the Company to compensate all impacted consumers.”
Links
- March: https://www.consumentenbond.nl/nieuws/2023/doorbraak-in-volkswagen-dieselschandaal-rechter-wijst-compensatie-toe
- April: https://www.consumentenbond.nl/nieuws/2023/weer-succes-in-rechtszaak-om-volkswagen-sjoemeldiesel
- July: https://www.consumentenbond.nl/nieuws/2023/volkswagen-moet-eigenaar-tweedehands-sjoemeldiesel-1500euro-betalen
- October: https://www.consumentenbond.nl/nieuws/2023/volkswagen-opnieuw-veroordeeld-in-dieselgate-procedure
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231011132017/en/
Contact information
Source/Contact
Gerard Spierenburg
Consumentenbond
gspierenburg@consumentenbond.nl
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Epassi Announces Leadership Transition26.11.2025 12:00:00 EET | Press release
Epassi Group, a European leader in digital employee benefits technology, today announced that Nickyl Raithatha will join as Chief Executive Officer. Nickyl will assume the role in 2026. Pekka Rantala, who has served as CEO since September 2019, will remain on the Board as Non-Executive Chair. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251126015983/en/ Pekka Rantala and Nickyl Raithatha Over the past six years, Epassi Group has evolved from a Nordic success story into one of Europe’s leading SaaS employee benefits and wellbeing platforms. The company has expanded both its geographic footprint as well as its product portfolio, driven by a powerful combination of strong organic growth and strategic acquisitions, with backing from TA Associates and Warburg Pincus. Today it has a presence in ten countries and a team of 1,000 people. With net revenue expected to exceed €200 million in 2025, Epassi is redefining employee engage
Enerin raises €15 million Series A to industrialise modular high-temperature heat pumps for global industry26.11.2025 11:00:00 EET | Press release
Enerin, a technology leader in high-temperature heat pumps, has raised €15 million (NOK 180 million) in a Series A led by Climentum Capital, The Footprint Firm, Johnson Controls and Move Energy, with participation from PSV Hafnium and Momentum. “This investment marks our shift from pioneering to full industrialisation, bringing proven high-temperature technology from Norway to industries worldwide,” said Arne Høeg, Founder and CEO of Enerin. “Industrial companies are ready to decarbonise high-temperature heat, but the mass market has lacked simple, profitable solutions that fit everyday operations.” Replacing fossil-fuelled industrial boilers — responsible for nearly 20% of global CO₂ emissions — remains one of the toughest challenges in the energy transition, largely because conventional heat pumps can’t cope with the sector’s highly variable process conditions and high temperatures. Enerin’s modular, flexible and standardised system removes such barriers by adapting automatically to
IQM to Invest Over €40 Million to Expand Finland Production Facility, Accelerate Innovation and Fuel Growth26.11.2025 10:49:00 EET | Press release
IQM Quantum Computers, a global leader in superconducting quantum computers, today announced over €40 million investment to expand its state-of-the-art production facility in Finland. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251126943986/en/ This strategic expansion will accelerate the development, fabrication and testing of advanced quantum processing units and the assembly of quantum computers, paving the way for scalable, error-corrected quantum systems that will power the next era of computing. The expansion aligns with the company’s recent Series B fundraise of over $300 million. The facility, which will spread over 8,000 square meters, will expand the company’s cleanroom area quantum data centre. It will also double its assembly line capacity, enabling to produce over 30 full-stack quantum computers per year, helping to meet the growing demand for its systems and support research innovation and development activi
Thredd Powers Successful Migration of BigPay’s Card Portfolio to Next-Gen Platform26.11.2025 10:00:00 EET | Press release
Thredd, the leading next-generation global payments processor, has successfully migrated BigPay’s virtual and physical card portfolio from its previous, legacy processor to Thredd’s next-generation platform, underscoring Thredd’s leadership in complex card portfolio migrations. The migration project, one of several in recent years, included over 2.5 million cards and highlights Thredd’s unique combination of deep migration experience, robust processes, and advanced technology—qualities increasingly critical as the industry faces a wave of modernisation and replatforming. This achievement comes at a pivotal moment for the industry. Industry analysts estimate that retail banks failing to modernise could see 10% to 15% of their payments revenue at risk annually as legacy platforms struggle to keep pace with demands for hyperpersonalization, digital experiences, faster time-to-market, and operational efficiencies. With more than 100 million cards per year expected to move to modern platfor
With Two in Five Employees Undergoing Fertility Treatment Leaving Their Jobs or Considering Quitting, Are Companies Doing Enough?26.11.2025 09:00:00 EET | Press release
An international survey, spanning Australia, France, Japan, Poland and the UK, has found that many employees experiencing fertility challenges lack support in the workplace, with almost two in five (39%) leaving or considering leaving their roles while undergoing treatment.1 ‘The Impact of Fertility Challenges at Work: International Insights’ survey by Ferring Pharmaceuticals, Fertility Matters at Work and This Can Happen shows that, despite growing awareness of reproductive health, two thirds (67%) who have experienced fertility challenges say that their workplaces do not offer support for employees undergoing fertility treatment, with France the least likely to provide it (88%).1 60% said they were not clearly entitled to time off for fertility appointments, with time recorded as paid leave, unpaid leave or annual leave (26%), and some also reported taking sick leave due to a lack of flexibility (17%).1 With assisted reproduction therapy, including IVF, already accounting for up to 1
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom