US Appeals Court Approves $10B VW Emissions Settlement

July 10, 2018—A U.S. appeals court on Monday approved a $10 billion settlement between Volkswagen and car owners caught in the manufacturer's emissions cheating scandal, reported Los Angeles Times.

Volkswagen agreed to spend up to $10 billion compensating owners of Volkswagen and Audi vehicles with 2-liter diesel engines, according to the report. Volkswagen will compensate owners of roughly 475,000 vehicles.

Volkswagen acknowledged that cars were programmed to cheat on emissions tests. The automaker agreed to either buy back the cars or fix them and pay each owner thousands of dollars in additional compensation.

The automaker has acknowledged that more than 550,000 vehicles in the U.S. were programmed to turn on emissions controls during government lab tests and turn them off while on the road. Investigators found that the cars emitted more than 40 times the legal limit of nitrogen oxide. 

Nitrogen oxide can cause respiratory problems, according to the report.