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Nature of Suit Code: 890
Nature of Suit: Other Statutory Actions
Cause of Action: 28:1441 Petition for Removal

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UNITED STATES JUDICIAL PANEL

on

MULTIDISTRICT LITIGATION

IN RE: VOLKSWAGEN “CLEAN DIESEL” MARKETING, 

SALES PRACTICES, AND PRODUCTS LIABILITY LITIGATION MDL No. 2672

TRANSFER ORDER

Before the Panel: Plaintiffs in 67 actions listed on the attached Schedule A move under Panel *

Rule 7.1 to vacate the Panel’s orders conditionally transferring their respective actions to MDL No.

2672. Volkswagen defendants (collectively VW) oppose all motions. 1

After considering the argument of counsel, we find these actions involve common questions of

fact with the actions previously transferred to MDL No. 2672, and that transfer under 28 U.S.C. § 1407

will serve the convenience of the parties and witnesses and promote the just and efficient conduct of the

litigation. Moreover, transfer is warranted for the reasons set out in our order directing centralization. 

In that order, we held that the Northern District of California was an appropriate Section 1407 forum

for actions sharing factual questions regarding the role of VW and related entities in equipping certain

2.0 and 3.0 liter diesel engines with software allegedly designed to engage emissions controls only when

the vehicles undergo official testing, while at other times the engines emit nitrous oxide well in excess

of legal limits. See In re: Volkswagen “Clean Diesel” Marketing, Sales Practices, and Products

Liability Litigation, 148 F. Supp. 3d 1367 (J.P.M.L. 2015). These actions involve allegations related

to affected VW, Audi and/or Porsche vehicles and clearly fall within the MDL’s ambit.

Plaintiffs in 65 actions argue against transfer primarily based on the pendency of their motions

to remand their respective actions to state court. Plaintiffs can present their motions for remand to the

 Judge Charles R. Breyer took no part in the decision of this matter. *

 Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (VWGoA) states that Volkswagen AG (VW AG) and Dr. 1

Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG are headquartered in the Federal Republic of Germany and named as

defendants in certain actions. Although not yet served as required pursuant to the Convention On The

Service Abroad of Judicial And Extrajudicial Documents In Civil Or Commercial Matters, [1969]

20 U.S.T. 361, T.I.A.S. No. 5538 (the Convention), and without waiver of their rights under the

Convention, VW AG and Porsche AG have reportedly authorized VWGoA to state that they support

VWGoA’s position on the motions to vacate the CTOs before the Panel. 

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I hereby certify that the annexed 

instrument is a true and correct copy 

of the original on file in my office.

 ATTEST:

 SUSAN Y. SOONG

 Clerk, U.S. District Court

 Northern District of California

 

 by: 

 Deputy Clerk

 Date: 

 

 

05 August 2016

FILED

Aug 08, 2016

CLERK, U.S. DISTRICT COURT

EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

Case 3:16-cv-04523-CRB Document 13 Filed 08/08/16 Page 1 of 7
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transferee judge. See, e.g., In re: Ivy, 901 F. 2d 7, 9 (2nd Cir. 1990); In re: Prudential Ins. Co. of Am. 2

Sales Practices Litig., 170 F. Supp. 2d 1346, 1347-48 (J.P.M.L. 2001). 

Plaintiff in the Southern District of West Virginia action (Morris) alleges that VW incorrectly

asserted that plaintiff’s previous action regarding his VW diesel, which was transferred via unopposed

conditional transfer order in December 2016, involved an amount in controversy over $75,000. Plaintiff

brings claims of fraud, abuse of process and obstruction of justice against VW and its counsel, attorneys

with McGuireWoods and the firm itself, for the alleged improper removal. Plaintiff’s proposed

amended complaint adds a RICO claim for defendants’ alleged practice of fraudulently removing actions

from state court in order to sweep such cases into an MDL. Arguing essentially that his action is unique

and does not involve facts common to the MDL, plaintiff opposes transfer. Since the action is based

upon the removal of an action pending in the MDL, we are of the opinion that placing Morris before the

transferee judge is the best option in these circumstances.

The State plaintiff in the Beshear action asserts that federal jurisdiction is lacking over its

enforcement action, while also stressing the unique nature of its claims. The transferee judge can decide

plaintiff’s motion to remand, as in other cases. At its core, the action is based upon the common factual

questions of MDL No. 2672—VW’s conduct in installing defeat devices in over 500,000 of its diesel

vehicles. Allowing this case to proceed separately would require a duplicative, and potentially

inconsistent, decision on the core issue of VW’s liability for the installation of the defeat devices. The

Panel often has transferred claims brought by a State so long as the action involves facts common to the

MDL proceeding and recently transferred an action brought by the Attorney General of New Mexico 3

over similar objections. See In Re: Volkswagen, MDL No. 2672. doc. 1716 at 2 ( J.P.M.L., June 2,

2016) (“Given the overlapping factual issues and the potential for inconsistent or duplicative rulings on

common issues, transfer is appropriate.”). 

 Panel Rule 2.1(d) expressly provides that the pendency of a conditional transfer order does not 2

limit the pretrial jurisdiction of the court in which the subject action is pending. Between the date

a remand motion is filed and the date that transfer of the action to the MDL is finalized, a court

generally has adequate time to rule on a remand motion if it chooses to do so. 

 See, e.g., In re: Fresenius Granuflo/Naturalyte Dialysate Prods. Liab. Litig., MDL No. 2428, 3

doc. No. 993 (J.P.M.L., Dec. 11, 2014) (rejecting Louisiana Attorney General’s argument that its

action should not be transferred to MDL because of “unique” factual and legal issues, noting that

“while plaintiff in State of Louisiana may seek different relief, its claims are based on the same

underlying facts as the actions already in MDL No. 2428. . .”).

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IT IS THEREFORE ORDERED that the actions listed on Schedule A are transferred to the

Northern District of California and, with the consent of that court, assigned to the Honorable Charles

R. Breyer for inclusion in the coordinated or consolidated pretrial proceedings.

 PANEL ON MULTIDISTRICT LITIGATION

 

 Sarah S. Vance

 Chair

Marjorie O. Rendell Lewis A. Kaplan

R. David Proctor Ellen Segal Huvelle

Catherine D. Perry

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IN RE: VOLKSWAGEN “CLEAN DIESEL” MARKETING, 

SALES PRACTICES, AND PRODUCTS LIABILITY LITIGATION MDL No. 2672

SCHEDULE A 

Middle District of Alabama

THREADGILL v. VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OF AMERICA, INC., 

C.A. No. 2:1600223

Northern District of Alabama

POUNDS v. VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OF AMERICA, INC., C.A. No. 2:16561 

HESS, ET AL. v. VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OF AMERICA, INC., 

C.A. No. 2:16668 

HYCHE v. VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OF AMERICA, INC., C.A. No. 6:16560 

Central District of California

WHALEN, ET AL. v. VENTURA VOLKSWAGEN, ET AL., C.A. No. 2:1603074

WILKIE, ET AL. v. VOLKSWAGEN OF DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES, ET AL., 

C.A. No. 2:1603087

KESSLER, ET AL. v. VENTURA VOLKSWAGEN, ET AL., C.A. No. 2:1603161

MORAN, ET AL. v. PARKWAY VOLKSWAGEN, ET AL., C.A. No. 2:1603162 

PEJMAN, ET AL. v. LIVINGSTON VOLKSWAGEN, ET AL., C.A. No. 2:163163 

MILLER, ET AL. v. CARDINALEWAY VOLKSWAGEN, ET AL., 

C.A. No. 5:16933 

STEVENS, ET AL. v. MOSS BROS VOLKSWAGEN, ET AL., C.A. No. 5:16934 

Eastern District of California

ALVARADO, ET AL. v. LASHER AUTO GROUP, ET AL., C.A. No. 2:16979 

Southern District of California

HOWE, ET AL. v. MOSSY VOLKSWAGEN OF ESCONDIDO, ET AL., 

C.A. No. 3:1600988 

CREIGHTON, ET AL. v. AUDI OF SAN DIEGO, ET AL., C.A. No. 3:1601058 

URIE, ET AL. v. BOB BAKER VOLKSWAGEN SUBARU, ET AL., 

C.A. No. 3:1601089 

District of Colorado

JAMES v. VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OF AMERICA, INC., ET AL., 

C.A. No. 1:1601192 

BURKHALTER v. VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OF AMERICA, INC., ET AL., 

C.A. No. 1:1601193 

LEHMANN v. VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OF AMERICA, INC., ET AL., 

C.A. No. 1:1601194 

JAMISON v. VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OF AMERICA, INC., ET AL., 

C.A. No. 1:1601195 

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MENA v. VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OF AMERICA, INC., ET AL., 

C.A. No. 1:1601196 

MOOREHOUSE v. VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OF AMERICA, INC., ET AL., 

C.A. No. 1:1601198 

JOHNSON v. VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OF AMERICA, INC., ET AL., 

C.A. No. 1:1601199 

DERMODY v. VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OF AMERICA, INC., ET AL., 

C.A. No. 1:1601200 

RIVERA v. VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OF AMERICA, INC., ET AL., 

C.A. No. 1:1601201 

SONDERS v. VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OF AMERICA, INC., ET AL., 

C.A. No. 1:1601203 

KECK v. VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OF AMERICA, INC., ET AL., 

C.A. No. 1:1601204 

GLADBACH v. VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OF AMERICA, INC., ET AL., 

C.A. No. 1:1601205 

JACOBSON v. VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OF AMERICA, INC., ET AL., 

C.A. No. 1:1601207 

REILLY v. VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OF AMERICA, INC., ET AL., 

C.A. No. 1:1601209

PAGUYO v. VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OF AMERICA, INC., ET AL., 

C.A. No. 1:1601212 

Middle District of Florida

BOTTIGLIERI v. VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OF AMERICA, INC., ET AL., 

C.A. No. 8:1600774 

BRASWELL, ET AL. v. VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OF AMERICA, INC., 

C.A. No. 8:1600860 

DEROCHEMONT v. VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OF AMERICA, INC., ET AL.,

C.A. No. 8:1601139 

Southern District of Florida

BORROTO v. VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OF AMERICA, INC., C.A. No. 1:1621433 

Northern District of Georgia

REED, ET AL. v. VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OF AMERICA, INC., 

C.A. No. 1:1601388

District of Kansas

BUSTAMANTE, ET AL. v. VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OF AMERICA, INC., ET AL., C.A.

No. 2:1602259 

Eastern District of Kentucky

BESHEAR v. VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OF AMERICA, INC., ET AL., C.A. No. 3:1627

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Eastern District of Louisiana

MCGOWAN v. VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OF AMERICA, INC., ET AL., 

C.A. No. 2:1602974 

District of Maryland

WIRIG v. VOLKSWAGEN AG, ET AL., C.A. No. 1:1601120 

AZRAEL, ET AL. v. VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OF AMERICA, INC., 

C.A. No. 1:1601366 

LEID v. VOLKSWAGEN AG, ET AL., C.A. No. 1:1601577 

District of Minnesota

NOUBLEAU, ET AL. v. VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OF AMERICA, INC., 

C.A. No. 0:1601079 

DOSER v. VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OF AMERICA, INC., C.A. No. 0:161157 

LYNCH v. VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OF AMERICA, INC., ET AL., 

C.A. No. 0:1601212 

MURRAY, ET AL. v. VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OF AMERICA, INC., ET AL.,

C.A. No. 0:1601215 

NEWGREN v. VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OF AMERICA, INC., ET AL., 

C.A. No. 0:1601231 

OWENS, ET AL. v. VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OF AMERICA, INC., ET AL.,

C.A. No. 0:1601245 

PERENDY v. VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OF AMERICA, INC., ET AL., 

C.A. No. 0:1601247 

SCHRUPP v. VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OF AMERICA, INC., ET AL., 

C.A. No. 0:1601255 

VERSCHOOR v. VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OF AMERICA, INC., ET AL., 

C.A. No. 0:1601256 

WEISS v. VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OF AMERICA, INC., ET AL., 

C.A. No. 0:1601308

Eastern District of Missouri

HARRIS, ET AL. v. VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OF AMERICA, INC., ET AL.,

C.A. No. 4:1600464 

LAFOY, ET AL. v. VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OF AMERICA, INC., ET AL.,

C.A. No. 4:1600466 

REHDER, ET AL. v. VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OF AMERICA, INC., ET AL.,

C.A. No. 4:1600467 

RECTOR, ET AL. v. VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OF AMERICA, INC., ET AL.,

C.A. No. 4:1600470 

WIETHUCHTER, ET AL. v. VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OF AMERICA, INC., ET AL., C.A.

No. 4:1600471 

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Middle District of North Carolina

WILKINS, ET AL. v. VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OF AMERICA, INC., 

C.A. No. 1:1600366 

STEFFY, ET AL. v. VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OF AMERICA, INC., 

C.A. No. 1:1600466

Western District of Texas

CARDENAS v. VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OF AMERICA, INC., ET AL., 

C.A. No. 1:1600555

ARTHUR, ET AL. v. VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OF AMERICA, INC., 

C.A. No. 1:1600568

ZELAZNY, ET AL. v. VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OF AMERICA, INC., ET AL.,

C.A. No. 1:1600591

KENNEDY, ET AL. v. VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OF AMERICA, INC., 

C.A. No. 1:1600606

ALLART, ET AL. v. VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OF AMERICA, INC., 

C.A. No. 1:1600616

KINCANNON v. VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OF AMERICA, INC., 

C.A. No. 1:1600617

Eastern District of Washington

AMBUTE, ET AL. v. VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OF AMERICA, INC., 

C.A. No. 2:1600159

Western District of Washington

DEINES, ET AL. v. VOLKSWAGEN GROUP OF AMERICA, INC., 

C.A. No. 2:1600703 

Southern District of West Virginia

MORRIS v. NEALE, ET AL., C.A. No. 2:16-2847

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