Volkswagen AG on Sept. 30 rejected a German judge's call to settle a lawsuit over manipulation of diesel emissions tests, Reuters reported.
Volkswagen reportedly said that its vehicles are driven by "hundreds of thousands" of customers every day, and it believes that there is no damage or cause for complaint.
The German car company is facing the largest collective lawsuit in Germany over its emissions test cheating scandal, dubbed "dieselgate," the Financial Times reported.
The legal claim, which more than 400,000 car owners have joined, reportedly is the first instance where Germany's declaratory model action, or DMA, was used in the country. A DMA is similar to a U.S. class-action lawsuit, where a case is filed for an individual acting on behalf of a group. Ever since the emissions scandal was revealed in 2015, German consumers have only pursued individual claims against the company.
Lawyers for the automaker said the case could last for four years and end up in front of Germany's Supreme Court, the report added. However, they expect that it will eventually be dismissed.
The development comes after Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess, Chairman Hans Dieter Potsch and ex-CEO Martin Winterkorn were charged on Sept. 24 for market manipulation relating to the scandal. The company maintained that the charges are "groundless" and "will prove to be unfounded" if a trial takes place.
