Montreal lawyers filed a request to the city’s Superior Court Tuesday morning for a class action lawsuit against three German car companies accused of price-fixing and collusion. According to the lawsuit, Volkswagen Automobile Group (AG), BMW AG and Daimler AG have been accused of conspiring on technology, strategy and parts since the 1990s in order to gain competitive advantage over other car companies. Such behaviour is illegal according to Quebec Civil Law and Canada’s Competition Act. Allegations of collusion began surfacing on July 21, and the following day, the European Commission and
Germany’s Cartel Office announced they’d been informed about such alleged illegal behaviour. Volkswagen AG, which also owns Audi and Porsche, voluntarily disclosed information to Germany’s Federal Cartel office for an unknown reason. The class action lawsuit filed in Montreal by lawyers Michael Vathilakis and Joey Zukran applies to residents in Quebec who have purchased or leased a vehicle from these brands. Vathilakis said the lawsuit is considered to be a standalone, meaning “it would not be joined to other lawsuits.”Vathilakis and Zukran represent Nick Bountounis, a digital technician for a marketing company in Montreal. Bountounis leased two Volkswagen Jettas in 2011 and 2015. According to the lawsuit, he paid around $375 in monthly instalments for the vehicle he leased in 2011. In 2015, he leased the second Volkswagen Jetta for 48 months and is paying $342 monthly.Since Dieselgate in 2015, when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency discovered that Volkswagen AG was cheating on its emission tests, Bountounis said he has paid close attention to the news. After reading about reports on the alleged collusion, Bountounis, frustrated, decided to contact Vathilakis. “I just don’t think it’s right,” Bountounis said over the phone. “Why am I overpaying for my car?” He said he hopes those who have purchased or leased a vehicle from these German brands will be compensated. “It’s just very upsetting, disturbing news that cars companies like that, world wide, are doing stuff like this,” he said.