You’ve probably seen all the press coverage this week surrounding our involvement in the Volkswagen Emissions Scandal action. Your Lawyers’ Principal Solicitor and Director, Aman Johal, has been widely quoted in the national press given his position at the forefront of the pending litigation.
Right now, the big hearing is on!
This hearing should determine several key elements of the action, including the formal deadline to claim – likely to be set this year – and who will be the Lead Solicitors in the action.
The big hearings taking place this week should lay down the framework for the litigation moving forward given that Volkswagen are refusing to accept liability for the scandal and the cheat devices here in England and Wales; meaning we have to take them to court. But, we can’t feasibly take tens of thousands (or potentially millions) of people’s claims through all sorts of different courts across the country. So, we bring all the claims together and we pursue the common issues – like liability – in the High Court of Justice.
All the claims can then be brought under what is known as a Group Litigation Order (GLO) which is pretty much the same as the common term ‘class action’ that stems from the US. But, to be able to benefit from all of the decisions within the scope of the GLO, you need to have opted-in for the action, which is where the deadline to claim becomes very relevant.
Forget legal limitation expiration dates, and forget about “leaving it” or “waiting to see what happens” – unless you are on the action prior to the cut-off date, you will normally need special permission from the court to join your claim after the deadline. From our experience of helping people in class action cases, you need a pretty good excuse to join the proceedings late.
If you miss the deadline, which will likely fall before the end of the year, there is a very strong chance you will not be able to claim at all.
So register to join the Volkswagen class action today and make sure you’re in before the deadline!
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