Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-3_15-md-02672/USCOURTS-cand-3_15-md-02672-127/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 370
Nature of Suit: Other Fraud
Cause of Action: 15:2301 Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act

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JOHN C. CRUDEN 

Assistant Attorney General 

Environment and Natural Resources Division 

NIGEL B. COONEY (MO-59824)

JOSHUA H. VAN EATON (WA-39871) 

BETHANY ENGEL (MA-660840) 

Trial Attorneys 

U.S. Department of Justice 

P.O. Box 7611 

Washington DC 20044-7611 

Telephone: (202) 514-5474 

Facsimile: (202) 514-0097 

Email: Josh.Van.Eaton@usdoj.gov

Attorneys for Plaintiff United States of America

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

SAN FRANCISCO DIVISION

IN RE:VOLKSWAGEN “CLEAN DIESEL” 

MARKETING, SALES PRACTICES, AND 

PRODUCTS LIABILITY LITIGATION

MDL No. 2672 CRB (JSC)

___________________________________/

This Order Relates to:

ALL ACTIONS

(except securities actions)

___________________________________/

STIPULATED PROTECTIVE ORDER 

REGARDING PUBLIC COMMENTS ON 

2.0 LITER SETTLEMENT

WHEREAS, on June 28, 2016, the United States on behalf of the Environmental Protection 

Agency (“EPA”), the People of the State of California, by and through the California Air Resources 

Board and Kamala D. Harris, Attorney General of the State of California (“California”), the United 

States Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”), and the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee (“PSC”) 

Case 3:15-md-02672-CRB Document 1743 Filed 08/17/16 Page 1 of 6
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(collectively, “Plaintiffs”), filed proposed settlements with one or more of Volkswagen AG, Audi AG, 

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc., and Volkswagen Group of America Chattanooga Operations, 

LLC (collectively, “Defendants,” and, together with Plaintiffs, the “Parties”), resolving certain claims 

related to certain 2.0 liter diesel vehicles;

WHEREAS, consistent with the requirements of 28 C.F.R. § 50.7, the United States’ proposed 

settlement with Defendants has been subject to a public notice and comment period of not less than 30 

days, with such public comment period closing on August 5, 2016;

WHEREAS, as part of the United States’ public comment process, the United States has 

received many comments from members of the public and affected vehicle owners and lessees (“Public 

Comments”) that bear on the terms of the United States/California, FTC and PSC proposed settlements;

WHEREAS, many of the Public Comments received by the United States contain personal 

identifying information (“PII”) of the commenter(s), including addresses, home telephone numbers,

email addresses, and VIN numbers of affected vehicles;

WHEREAS, to the extent that such PII is protected by the Privacy Act of 1974, 5 U.S.C. § 552a, 

which prohibits the disclosure by any agency of the federal government of any record about an 

individual from a system of records absent the written consent of the individual, it may nevertheless be 

disclosed “pursuant to the order of a court of competent jurisdiction.” 5 U.S.C. § 552a(b)(11).

WHEREAS, the Parties and the Court agree that due to the unique circumstances of the three 

coordinated and interrelated settlements that were filed on June 28, it is in the interest of all Parties and 

the public that the United States be able to share the relevant Public Comments on the proposed 

settlements with the other Parties while maintaining the privacy rights of individuals and protecting the 

confidentiality of PII contained in the Public Comments;

Case 3:15-md-02672-CRB Document 1743 Filed 08/17/16 Page 2 of 6
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WHEREAS, the Parties and the Court agree that good cause exists for issuance of an order 

permitting limited disclosure by the United States of the PII contained in the Public Comments;

NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS HEREBY STIPULATED AND AGREED, by and among the 

Parties:

The United States, acting on behalf of EPA, is authorized to share with the other Parties any 

Public Comments received by the United States as part of the public notice and comment period in 

connection with the United States’/California’s partial settlement filed on June 28, 2016, notice of 

which was published in the Federal Register on July 6, 2016, 81 Fed. Reg. 44051.

All Parties are ordered to maintain the confidentiality of any PII contained in the Public 

Comments. No person having access to the Public Comments shall make public disclosure of any 

information contained in the Public Comments without further order of the Court or agreement among 

the Parties. Nothing herein shall restrict the United States in its authorized use of the information 

contained in the Public Comments subject to this Order, including making any Public Comments

available to the general public and to the Court in a subsequent motion relating to the United 

States’/California’s proposed settlement.

Any person found to be in violation of this Order is subject to the imposition of sanctions.

Dated: August 16, 2016 Respectfully submitted, 

By: /s/Nigel B. Cooney

Nigel B. Cooney

nigel.cooney@usdoj.gov

Joshua H. Van Eaton 

josh.van.eaton@usdoj.gov 

Bethany Engel 

bethany.engel@usdoj.gov 

Environmental Enforcement Section 

Environment and Natural Resources Division 

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE 

P.O. Box 7611 

Case 3:15-md-02672-CRB Document 1743 Filed 08/17/16 Page 3 of 6
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Washington, DC 20044-7611 

Telephone: (202) 514-3145

Facsimile: (202) 514-0097 

Coordinating Counsel for the United States 

Dated: August 16, 2016 Respectfully submitted, 

By: /s/Jonathan Cohen

Jonathan Cohen (jcohen2@ftc.gov)

Michelle L. Schaeffer (mschaefer@ftc.gov)

Sangjoon “Simon” Han (shan@ftc.gov)

Megan A. Bartley (mbartley@ftc.gov)

Federal Trade Commission

600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, CC-9528

Washington, DC 20580

(202) 326-2551 (Cohen); -3515 (Schaefer); -2495 

(Han); -3424 (Bartley); -3197 (fax)

Attorneys for Plaintiff Federal Trade Commission

Dated: August 16, 2016 Respectfully submitted, 

KAMALA D. HARRIS

Attorney General of California

NICKLAS A. AKERS

Senior Assistant Attorney General

JUDITH A. FIORENTINI

Supervising Deputy Attorney General

By: /s/Jon F. Worm

JON F. WORM

Deputy Attorney General

600 West Broadway, Suite 1800

San Diego, CA 92101

Telephone: (619) 738-9325

Facsimile: (619) 645-2271

jon.worm@doj.ca.gov

Attorneys for the People of the State of California 

Case 3:15-md-02672-CRB Document 1743 Filed 08/17/16 Page 4 of 6
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Dated: August 16, 2016 

Dated: August 16, 2016

Respectfully submitted, 

By: /s/Robert J. Giuffra, Jr. 

Robert J. Giuffra, Jr. 

giuffrar@sullcrom.com 

Sharon L. Nelles 

nelless@sullcrom.com 

William B. Monahan 

monahanw@sullcrom.com 

SULLIVAN & CROMWELL LLP 

125 Broad Street 

New York, New York 10004 

Telephone: (212) 558-4000 

Facsimile: (212) 558-3588 

Laura Kabler Oswell 

oswelll@sullcrom.com 

SULLIVAN & CROMWELL LLP 

1870 Embarcadero Road 

Palo Alto, California 94303 

Telephone: (650) 461-5600 

Facsimile: (650) 461-5700 

Co-Liaison Counsel for the Volkswagen Group 

Defendants 

Respectfully submitted, 

By: /s/Elizabeth J. Cabraser 

Elizabeth J. Cabraser 

ecabraser@lchb.com 

LIEFF CABRASER HEIMANN & 

BERNSTEIN, LLP 

275 Battery Street, 29th Floor 

San Francisco, CA 94111-3339 

Telephone: 415.956.1000 

Facsimile: 415.956.1008 

Plaintiffs’ Lead Counsel 

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Dated: August 16, 2016 Respectfully submitted, 

By: /s/Jeffrey L. Chase 

Jeffrey L. Chase 

jchase@herzfeld-rubin.com 

Michael B. Gallub 

mgallub@herzfeld-rubin.com 

HERZFELD & RUBIN, P.C. 

125 Broad Street 

New York, New York 10004 

Telephone: (212) 471-8500 

Co-Liaison Counsel for the Volkswagen Group 

Defendants 

PURSUANT TO STIPULATION, IT IS SO ORDERED.

DATED: August , 2016 

______________________________________ 

CHARLES R. BREYER 

United States District Judge

Case 3:15-md-02672-CRB Document 1743 Filed 08/17/16 Page 6 of 6