Justices turn away VW appeals over emissions scandal suits

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has turned away appeals from Volkswagen that sought to stop state and local lawsuits related to the 2015 scandal in which the automaker was found to have rigged its vehicles to cheat U.S. diesel emissions tests. The court’s action Monday allows suits by Ohio, Salt Lake County, Utah, and the environmental protection agency in Hillsborough County, Florida, to continue. A lower court said Volkswagen could face “staggering liability” over the state and local claims. The German-based company argued federal law gives the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, not state and local officials, authority to regulate its conduct.