The Justice Department in the United States has filed a civil lawsuit against Volkswagen AG for allegedly violating the Clean Air Act by installing illegal devices to impair emission control systems in nearly 600,000 vehicles.
The allegations carry penalties that could cost Volkswagen billions of dollars, a senior Justice Department official said on Monday.
"The United States will pursue all appropriate remedies against Volkswagen to redress the violations of our nation's clean air laws," said Assistant Attorney General John Cruden of the environment and natural resources division at the department.
The lawsuit accuses Volkswagen of four counts of violating the US Clean Air Act, including tampering with the emissions control system and failing to report violations.
It was being filed in the Eastern District of Michigan and then transferred to Northern California, where class-action lawsuits against Volkswagen were pending.
"We're alleging that they knew what they were doing, they intentionally violated the law and that the consequences were significant to health," the senior Justice Department official said.
The department had also been investigating criminal fraud allegations against Volkswagen for misleading US consumers and regulators. Criminal charges would require a higher burden of proof than the civil lawsuit.
The civil lawsuit does not preclude the department from pursuing criminal charges against Volkswagen, the official said.
VW spokeswoman Jeannine Ginivan said the automaker did not have an immediate comment on the lawsuit.
