Sydney law firm will not proceed with VW class action

[wai]

Saw this on Twitter

Law firm says it will not proceed with Volkswagen class action - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

[MMANGO]

Its a terrible thing to have happen, but at the same time it is a set of unfortunate events and I don't think the blame lies completely on VW. Yes they sold a faulty product, but at the same time the truck evidently did not leave an adequate distance to stop in. VW acknowledged their fault (which would have been at great expense to them) and endeavoured to rectify the issue. As far as I can see, until the coroner releases the report, they have done everything by the book- as long as the did not know of the gearbox fault earlier

[Candyman]

Her car was a MANUAL, not a DSG

How many times do the media have to get it wrong.

[Transporter]

Hmm, why am I not surprised?

....If I would be VW, I would complete the recall fixing the faulty DSGs and then would sue the media.

[wai]

When initiating legal action you always have to make sure you are absolutely clear on what has happened, and then that you have the right party you are fighting. If you get either wrong, you can end up losing a whole lot more than you think.

As an example, I was called in by a fabricator to act as an expert witness in action he had initiated against a drafter. Basically, the drafter detailed up steelwork for tilt up panel industrial units. What happened during erection was the beams appeared too long. I went through all the information and found that the steelwork was correct. The tilt up panels had been positioned incorrectly. The fabricator ended up with a cost of over $100,000 because he initiated action against the wrong person. To go after the panel contractor meant spending money all over again, and the cost he was trying to recover was less than $10,000! Oh, and I did not get paid either!!!

[Transporter]

Oh, and I did not get paid either!!!

Man, that sucks.

[Diesel_vert]

The media, upon investigating comments made by VW owners, asserted that there was a problem with the operation and reliability of cars built by the Volkswagen Group (particularly the DSG transmission, amongst other components) and that the typical aftersales experience was poor.

The problem with the media was that using the accident (which involved a Mk5 Golf GTI manual) to highlight and publicise the issue was a bit tasteless and allowed much speculation to flourish on internet forums.

The problem for Volkswagen is that these assertions largely held true for a great deal of owners, so VW can't exactly sue the media for merely revealing the state of play to the wider public.

In relation to the class action, I'm guessing that the coroner's findings may have an influence on any potential lawsuit.

[nat225]

people should ask themselves, how many times they see truck drivers (including vans, utes, 4wd.. not stereotyping but probably time is money for them hence the hurry and rush or probably the testosterone level is just too high for these drivers) following far too close (given the speed, weight and sufficient stopping distance required) on the road everyday.

yes, they do sit higher and can see further beyond the car right in front (up to the point the car right in front is invincible to them) and would adjust their speed (supposedly) if anything ahead comes up.

[Diesel_vert]

In my experience, everybody tailgates, but I've observed that drivers of heavy vehicles and big trucks tailgate the least.

In fact, I often notice how they often get carved up by passenger, SUV, 4WD, light and medium commercial vehicles in ever more creative ways. Certainly makes for exciting and heart-raising stuff (as an observer) in an otherwise boring commute.

I'm all for exploring the boundaries of physics, but the public highway is no place to play chicken with big trucks, don't you think people?

This is not a commentary on the accident, but a general observation.

[Guest001]

In my experience, everybody tailgates, but I've observed that drivers of heavy vehicles and big trucks tailgate the least.

In fact, I often notice how they often get carved up by passenger, SUV, 4WD, light and medium commercial vehicles in ever more creative ways. Certainly makes for exciting and heart-raising stuff (as an observer) in an otherwise boring commute.

I'm all for exploring the boundaries of physics, but the public highway is no place to play chicken with big trucks, don't you think people?

This is not a commentary on the accident, but a general observation.

Wholeheartedly agree. When I was driving buses I would leave a space for what I thought was a safe braking distance so as not to inconvenience the passengers and what would happen.

A couple of cars would promptly cut in front of me and leave me no room at all.

Also at 2 lane roundabouts cars would fire up the left lane and cut in front leaving NO room at all.

I soon stopped that one using the over 7.5 m rule.

I used both lanes and kept the bus on the centre line so no one could get past. Fixed that problem