The “one for all lawsuit”

Abstract

Until recently, many consumers who had purchased a manipulated diesel car probably thought: “How is it possible that emissions levels have been manipulated and my expensive car has dropped in value, yet the people responsible don’t have to answer for their actions? All the same, I think I’d rather let the matter rest than take on a large car manufacturer and its legal department.” And who can blame them for thinking that? Nobody really wants to be involved in a legal dispute: they’re complicated, the evidence is often ambiguous, and the risk of losing is extremely high as a result. This is precisely why adding a new mechanism under civil procedure law was the right thing to do. The result is the “one for all lawsuit”, which has been in force since 1 November 2018.