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takyon [soylentnews.org] writes:

Volkswagen AG's $14.7 billion settlement with the U.S. government, State of California, and vehicle owners has been approved [reuters.com], and the company will begin buying back affected vehicles in mid-November:

It represented one of the biggest corporate settlements of any kind. The action by U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco marked a pivotal moment for VW as it aims to move past a scandal that has engulfed the company since it admitted in September 2015 to installing secret software in diesel cars to cheat exhaust emissions tests and make them appear cleaner than they really were.

[...] Breyer turned away objections from car owners who thought the settlement did not provide enough money, saying it "adequately and fairly compensates" them. In addition to the pre-scandal "trade in" value of the vehicle, owners will receive $5,100 to $10,000 in additional compensation. "Given the risks of prolonged litigation, the immediate settlement of this matter is far preferable," Breyer wrote.

Also at USA Today [usatoday.com], NPR [npr.org], LA Times [latimes.com], and The Denver Post [denverpost.com] (AP).

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