Baker Wotring Update on Harris County VW TDI Diesel Litigation

Earnest Wotring presented an update on the VW TDI Diesel Litigation to the Houston Bar Association Environmental Section on September 18, 2019. In 2015 Harris County Attorney Vince Ryan on behalf of Harris County sued Volkswagen, Audi and their affiliates for violating Texas emissions standards. From about 2008 to 2015, VW sold thousands of diesel-fueled cars in Harris County that had an illegal software program that permitted the cars to defeat emissions testing. As a result, the VW cars with this illegal software program emitted NOx in amounts that were 10 to 40 times above the permissible levels. Recently, the Texas Supreme Court denied attempts by Volkswagen to dismiss the lawsuits filed by Harris County, Fort Bend County, the State of Texas and others arising from the Volkswagen emissions scandal and the case is expected to be set for trial in 2020. Harris County is represented in the litigation by Richard Mithoff of the Mithoff Law Firm, Baker Wotring LLP, Benny Agosto of Abraham Watkins, Nichols, Sorrels Agosto & Aziz, and Russell Post of Beck Redden LLP.