An activist holds a protest poster in front of a factory gate of the German car manufacturer Volkswagen in Wolfsburg, Germany.Volkswagen AG is maneuvering to steer hundreds of class-action lawsuits over its emissions-cheating software to the court nearest its current U.S. headquarters or to Detroit, its former location, according to Bloomberg.
Some had believed that Chattanooga might be the site to hear the suits since its only U.S. production plant is located in the Scenic City.
The automaker asked a panel of federal judges to combine the more than 350 lawsuits against it in federal court in Alexandria, Va., a venue known for moving cases quickly and also the one closest to its U.S. headquarters in Herndon. Volkswagen listed Detroit as an alternate choice, while opposing requests by some car owners' lawyers to send the case to California.
Lawyers pushing for consolidation in California have been involved in a "race to the courthouse," jockeying for appointments as lead attorneys over the combined litigation, Volkswagen Group of America lawyers said in court papers Tuesday.
"Such choreographed concentration of cases should be given little consideration," Volkswagen said. "California is not a convenient forum for this litigation."