A dismissed employee of Volkswagen Group of America is accusing the German automaker of deleting evidences to hide the contentious "dieselgate" scandal. Daniel Donovan sued his former employer of destruction of evidences while the investigation of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Justice Department is ongoing.
Donovan, who worked as an Electronic Discovery Manager in the information technology department filed a whistleblower lawsuit last week against VW. He alleged that VW is destructing evidences by deleting files connected to the fraud software installed on diesel cars to fake emission tests. Donovan also mentioned in his court filing that he was fired because VW officials were threatened that he's going to tell authorities, including EPA, Justice Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) the incident, Yahoo reports.
As previously reported by Lawyer Herald, a VW spokeswoman revealed that Donovan dismissal from VW is not related to the "dieselgate" scandal. "The circumstances of Mr. Donovan's departure were unrelated to the diesel emissions issue. We believe his claim of wrongful termination is without merit," it said in a statement.
The former VW employee is seeking damages and interest. He didn't mention any amount in the lawsuit. He alleged that VW violated the Michigan Whistleblowers' Protection Act for his dismissal, Daily Mail claimed. VW's "dieselgate" scandal broke in September after EPA charged the company of Clean Air Act violations. The German automaker used fake software to lessen emissions during testing. The diesel-engine cars were found to be releasing nitrogen oxide up to 40 times more than the standard.
Volkswagen is facing a slew of violations as well as hundreds of class-action lawsuits filed by outraged car owners around the U.S. and Germany. The company was sued by shareholders for the substantial loss in sales caused by the "dieselgate" scandal. VW was also fined $20 billion in the U.S. over the violations. Donovan's claim is just one of the many accusations that VW is presently facing. The plaintiff has remained silent over the lawsuit while VW is firm in its claim that Donovan was fired due to a different reason.
