Windsor law firm launches $1B class-action suit against Volkswagen

The law firm of Sutts, Strosberg LLP, based in Windsor, Ont., will pursue a class action lawsuit against auto giant Volkswagen, which admitted Tuesday some of its cars were built with software designed to rig emissions tests.

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The suit seeks $1 billion in damages and an additional$100 million in punitive damages, lawyer Harvey Strosberg said at a Tuesday press conference.

Strosberg said there was a conspiracy among a handful of Volkswagen employees to fix the emission test results.

He said anyCanadian with a Volkswagen diesel car made before September 2015 can add their name to the suit.

The German automaker said 11 million diesel vehicles worldwide were outfitted with the software.

The so-called defeat device is illegal in Canada and the U.S., and the company could face billions of dollars in fines for using it.

On Tuesday, Environment Canada said it had begun an investigation into use of a "defeat device" to get around emissions testing rules to determine if there had been a violation of Canadian law.