German Judge Chides VW for Withholding Diesel Cheating Details

A labor court judge in Germany condemns as “disconcerting” and “irritating” Volkswagen AG’s refusal to reveal findings of investigations into the company’s diesel emission cheating scandal.

The judge says VW’s refusal to turn over results of an independent probe by the U.S. law firm Jones Day makes it impossible for him to rule on a wrongful dismissal lawsuit against VW’s Audi unit, Reuters reports. VW also conducted its own investigation, which also remains secret.

Ulrich Weiss, former head of diesel development for Audi, has petitioned the court to be reinstated after he was fired in February for his alleged role in the scandal. Judge Carsten Witt says he cannot determine the merits of the claim without knowing more details.

Witt rejects Audi’s assertion that there is no written report by Jones Day about the firm's findings. He says Weiss’ case may be forwarded to Germany’s Federal Labor Court for resolution, declaring “there are definitely written statements” about the investigation’s conclusions.

VW initially pledged maximum transparency about the investigations. But it later decided that revealing details of the Jones Day report would jeopardize continuing investigations in Germany.