Volkswagen Emissions Scandal: US VW Owner Sues Company, Joining Long List Of Suits Filed

A Connecticut man wants Volkswagen to recall or replace the two cars he bought under the impression they were environmentally friendly, and has filed the latest in a wave of lawsuits over the Volkswagen diesel emissions scandal. According to documents in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut, Drew Mizak filed Wednesday to seek class action in his suit.

"He felt betrayed," Mizak’s attorney Drew Guarnieri told WNPR radio in Connecticut. "This is the No. 1 car seller in the world, and they were marketing these cars as being extremely efficient, clean diesel technology, the world's cleanest diesel engines. And the reality was, they're just not. I mean, the people were ultimately sold a fiction."

Volkswagen admitted it installed certain technology in some of its diesel models to pass emissions tests, even though the cars were emitting 40 times the supposed levels of pollution, according to the Telegraph. About 11 million vehicles are thought to be affected, according to USA Today, which could cost billions to fix.

The models affected include the 2010 Jetta and the 2014 Passat, both of which Mizak said in court documents he bought without knowledge of the cheating emissions technology.

"People actually paid a considerable premium: $1,000 to up to $7,000 more than the comparably equipped gasoline version of the same model cars,” Guarnieri told WNPR. “So there's a considerable economic loss there."

The lawsuit filed by Mizak, a schoolteacher, is one of many. As of Sunday, 34 lawsuits were filed against Volkswagen relating to the diesel emissions scandal, NPR reported.

The scandal could eventually cost Volkswagen as much as $87 billion, CNN reported. The company said Thursday an investigation into the emissions test might take longer than expected. Sources told Reuters that Volkswagen is looking to cut costs to help pay for the anticipated hit.