In cases where numerous individuals face the same injustice, whether it be financial harm, physical injury, or other forms of injustice caused by negligence or fault, collective action through a group claim can be pursued. This is what happened in the emissions scandal group action claim against 16 global car manufacturing groups.
What Is A Group Claim?
A group claim involves multiple individuals, sometimes numbering in the hundreds, thousands, or even millions, joining forces to take legal action against the same defendant(s), whether they are individuals, organisations, or a small group of defendants.
For a group claim to proceed, the claimants must be affected by similar issues stemming from the same source of harm or injustice. By uniting as one, claimants, defendants, and the courts can save valuable time and resources, making group claims a preferred approach for eligible cases.
Group claims commonly arise in situations where widespread harm or injustice has been inflicted, such as cases involving defective products, environmental pollution, financial fraud, or corporate misconduct. By pooling their resources and leveraging collective strength, individuals can pursue justice more effectively, ensuring that their voices are heard and their rights protected.
The Emissions Scandal Group Action
The High Court has made a crucial decision in response to claims brought by 1.2 million UK vehicle owners against 16 global car manufacturing groups. These claims allege the use of prohibited ‘defeat devices’ in vehicles to cheat emissions tests.
To streamline the management of these extensive claims and ensure efficient use of court resources, the High Court convened a one-day hearing. This hearing aimed to address concerns about overlapping legal, factual, and technical issues across multiple Group Litigation Orders (GLOs) against various manufacturers.
The court ruled that the claim against Mercedes should proceed as the lead GLO, with two additional lead GLOs identified for other emissions cases. These additional lead GLOs will be agreed upon by all parties to streamline proceedings, with further hearings scheduled back in January 2024.
Lawyers representing the vehicle owners argued that designating Mercedes as the lead claim would expedite the resolution of common legal and factual issues, benefiting all emissions cases. The court also ordered the parties to collaborate on sharing confidential information across different group claims, aiming to enhance transparency and efficiency.
Further hearings in March 2024 addressed issues related to sample vehicles containing ‘defeat devices’, the timetable for future proceedings, costs, information disclosure, and other legal matters.
On 22nd May 2023, the High Court issued a Group Litigation Order concerning a Group Action against Mercedes-Benz Group AG (formerly Daimler AG), Mercedes-Benz AG, Mercedes-Benz UK Limited (formerly: Mercedes-Benz Cars UK Limited), Mercedes-Benz Financial Services UK Limited, Mercedes-Benz Retail Group UK Limited, and authorized dealerships.
This action pertains to individuals or businesses who owned, leased, or otherwise acquired vehicles manufactured by Mercedes-Benz Group AG and/or Mercedes-Benz AG between 2009 and 2021.
Johnson Law Group, one of the firms representing Claimants in the group action. They have attended every High Court hearing to ensure their clients’ interests are safeguarded in this claim. If you wish to join the claim, you can complete an online questionnaire to become a client within minutes.
