Johnson Law Group looks to Court of Appeal following diesel emissions hearing

Following the handing down of July’s diesel emissions judgment, the High Court listed a two-day hearing for the 7th and 8th of October 2026 before Lady Justice Cockerill, to deal with consequential issues following her judgment.

A number of issues were before the Court including the Claimants request for permission to appeal her judgment, and in particular her definition of a prohibited defeat device (PDD).The arguments centred around her appearing to not follow established European law on what a PDD is. Her narrow definition, which has been met with surprise by many, meant that far fewer vehicles were caught by her ruling than would have been had she adopted a wider definition.

Despite her refusal to grant permission to appeal, the decision was anticipated by Johnson Law Group. The next stage will be to apply for permission to appeal directly to the Court of Appeal.

The firm’s insurer remains fully supportive of pursuing this next stage. Johnson Law Group continues to work closely with the wider claimant legal team to advance its clients’ interests and challenge the July judgment.

Matthew Raines of Johnson Law Group said; “we will continue to fight to overturn this judgment and secure compensation for our clients and hold the car manufacturers to account for their actions. There are also major wider issues of public importance involving diesel emissions, public health, regulatory practice, Brexit-related legal questions and divergence from European court authority, which deserve the full scrutiny of the Higher Courts.”

Further updates will be published as matters progress.

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