SOUTH DAKOTA, S.D. (AP) — Attorney General Marty Jackley says South Dakota will get $2.5 million in civil penalties from Volkswagen as part of a multi-state settlement with the German automaker over allegations it cheated on emissions tests.
Volkswagen has agreed to pay the states more than $1,000 per car that violated consumer protection laws, totaling $570 million nationwide.
Jackley announced the deal Wednesday, a day after news broke that Volkswagen will spend up to $15.3 billion in settlements with consumers and governmental agencies. Lawyers are calling this the largest auto-related class-action settlement in U.S. history.
Jackley says Volkswagen mislead consumers into buying cars "that were not what they represented them to be."
Volkswagen has admitted that cars equipped with 2-liter diesel engines were programmed to turn on emissions controls during government lab tests and turn them off while on the road.
