A federal judge has dismissed a class action suit that alleged Mercedes-Benz misled consumers about emissions of its “BlueTec Clean Diesel” models, just when the luxury brand was considering to give up on diesel propellers in the United States.
The decision did not consider whether or not the Mercedes diesel engines live up to the company’s advertising campaigns, but rather on whether the allegations had legal standing to bring the case to court. New Jersey U.S. District Judge Jose Linares stated that plaintiffs brought unbased claims, ast they failed to show that they had actually seen any of the ads that had allegedly misled them.
“We will amend to satisfy the court’s direction and are confident we can do so. Make no mistake, there has to be a legal remedy for the tens of thousands of Mercedes diesel owners who are unwittingly driving cars that exceed any promise of ‘Clean Diesel’ that Mercedes made, and which are exceeding U.S. emission standards,” said Berman, managing partner of the Hagens Berman law firm, representing the presumed victims.
Diesel engines have been under scrutiny since Volkswagen’s Dieselgate, as the Germans have admitted to rigging its diesel cars to pass emissions tests. VW has agreed to pay $15 billion in settlements and still faces potential criminal prosecution in the U.S.. From that moment on, the standard procedure for testing and providing certifications for the diesel engines has been much stricter, even Mercedes facing delays in being supplied with the necessary paper for the latest E-Class sedan.
Foto: Bogdan Paraschiv.
