AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Maine Attorney General Janet Mills says the state is suing Volkswagen for selling cars that purposefully violated state environmental rules.
The lawsuit, announced Friday, is one of about 20 actions taken by individual states targeting Volkswagen and its subsidiaries for selling diesel cars fitted with "defeat devices" to conceal illegal and harmful tailpipe emissions. About 3,500 of them were sold in Maine.
Volkswagen has agreed to separate settlements of $15 billion and $1 billion, but those don't resolve civil claims brought by states like Maine.
Mills said protecting Maine's environment and the health of residents is "more important than a corporation's bottom line."
A VW spokeswoman said the company is "committed to reaching a fair and efficient resolution of remaining federal and state diesel claims."
