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Fox Williams LLP investigating litigation against Mercedes following US settlements totalling $2.2 billion for dirty diesel emissions fraud

Fox Williams LLP investigating litigation against Mercedes following US settlements totalling
$2.2 billion for dirty diesel emissions fraud.

London law firm, Fox Williams, pursuing possible dirty diesel emissions claims for Mercedes owners
in England and Wales in collaboration with US law firm, Hagens Berman, which spearheaded an
investigation and consumer group action lawsuit leading to more than $700 million for US Mercedes
owners.

Fox Williams LLP, in collaboration with US class-action law firm Hagens Berman, is investigating
possible claims against Mercedes in England and Wales, with a view to bringing group action litigation
for suspected dirty diesel emissions fraud in Mercedes’ line of BlueTEC diesel vehicles, which are
believed to pollute at illegal levels resulting in economic and environmental damage.

It is estimated that up to 1.2 million potential claimants owning (or having owned) impacted vehicles in
England and Wales are affected, based on Mercedes selling more than 600,000 impacted vehicles
here between 2008 and 2018. This includes private owners and businesses, such as fleet operators
and hire car companies.

According to Hagens Berman’s investigations, Mercedes programmed its BlueTEC vehicles to
release illegally high, dangerous levels of NOx emissions via a defeat device similar to the one used
by Volkswagen. This defeat device turned off or limited emissions reductions during real-world driving
conditions but not during vehicle emissions tests.

Today’s announcement follows the news last Thursday (13 August) that the US investigation against
Mercedes has culminated in a $2.2 billion agreement in principle with the US Department of Justice,
Environmental Protection Agency and others including consumers. Hagens Berman’s claim, bolstered
by its independent testing and research, will return $700 million or more to US owners of affected
Mercedes dirty diesel BlueTEC vehicles.

The size of these settlements in the US (with Mercedes’ parent company, Daimler AG) is, in our
opinion, a clear indication that Mercedes-Benz and Daimler have been selling dirty diesel-fuelled cars
and vans in the US for many years. The evidence strongly suggests that Daimler and Mercedes have
been involved in similar practices in England and Wales. Fox Williams is collaborating with Hagens
Berman, the firm that led the successful Dieselgate claims against both Volkswagen and Mercedes in
the US, to seek to hold these companies to account in England and Wales for the alleged
environmental damage and economic disadvantage which these dirty diesels have caused their
customers.

Mercedes owners and lessees in England and Wales who may have dirty diesel emissions
claims

Certain of the following Mercedes models powered by BlueTEC diesel-fuelled engines and sold from
2008 up to 2018 are affected by the alleged unlawful, unfair, deceptive and otherwise defective
emission controls utilised by Mercedes: A-Class, B-Class, C-Class, Citan, CLA, CLS, E-Class, GLClass, GLA-Class, GLC-Class, GLE-Class, GLS, M-Class, S-Class, SLK, Sprinter, V-Class, and Vito
(however, additional models are also likely emitting dirty diesel emissions). These models include
passenger and commercial vehicles and vans, such as people movers, shuttles and taxis.

We believe that Mercedes started committing this alleged fraud in about 2008 and continued for some
10 years. Fox Williams is investigating claims for business and private owners and lessees of these models in
England and Wales.

Fleet owners, private owners and lessees who are unsure if their Mercedes vehicle is affected by the
dirty diesel technology, can contact Fox Williams at www.mercedes-dieselclaims.co.uk.

Andrew Hill, the Fox Williams partner who is leading this action, comments: “Like many members of
the general public, I have been shocked at the allegations of deception and fraud made against some
of the world’s largest and most prestigious automotive manufacturers, including Mercedes-Benz. We
believe business and private owners in England and Wales will very likely have good claims for the
damage caused to them from unwittingly owning or leasing dirty diesels. We are delighted to be
collaborating with the team at Hagens Berman, who have been at the forefront of bringing the claims
against VW and Mercedes in the US. Hagens Berman will bring to Fox Williams’ case years of indepth scientific evidence and legal experience from their cases in the US, which will be highly relevant
in England, together with their experience of obtaining a successful multi-million dollar settlement from
Mercedes-Benz and Daimler.

“As with our securities litigation practice, we see an opportunity to use the group action litigation legal
framework which exists here for claimants to hold major corporations to account for their actions,
sitting alongside any public enforcement action which regulators in this jurisdiction may choose to
take. Hagens Berman has a similar approach and that’s why our collaboration will prove highly
effective for those impacted by this apparent fraud this side of the pond.”

Mercedes owners interested in joining our possible claim should be aware that it will be conducted on
a no-win, no-fee basis, meaning that there will be no out-of-pocket cost to sign up to or
participate. More information can be found at: www.mercedes-dieselclaims.co.uk.

US lawsuit serves as “sparkplug” for further claims and litigation in England and Wales

“We’re pleased to see that the US Department of Justice’s investigation, which was spurred by the
claim which we brought and our independent studies of Mercedes’ BlueTEC vehicles, will culminate in
a just punishment for Mercedes’ deception,” said Steve W. Berman, co-founder and managing partner
of Hagens Berman. “It is our belief that our investigation and lawsuit served as the sparkplug for the
DOJ’s case and its conclusion of a US$1.5 billion agreement, and we’re hopeful that owners in
England and Wales who have been deceived by Mercedes will also be able to obtain
compensation. We’re pleased to be collaborating with Fox Williams to help them help those affected
by dirty diesel emissions fraud.”

The evidence suggests that Mercedes was committing the same deception in England and Wales,
and Mercedes has already been the subject of regulatory sanction and large fines in the EU for using
the defeat devices in the cars it was selling in Europe.

If you own a Mercedes BlueTEC vehicle or fleet of affected vehicles, find out more about your rights
against Mercedes.

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NOTES TO EDITORS

About Fox Williams

Fox Williams is a leading London City law firm known for its ambition, great culture and good sense.
The litigation team is recognised for its independent market position as well as for the quality of its
work. The firm’s litigation lawyers advise on a wide range of disputes, employing legal strategies that
minimise the risks and realistically assess the potential rewards for clients. Fox Williams has
considerable experience in bringing civil fraud claims, and of cutting-edge, high-value group action
litigation for institutional investors and shareholders of wrong-doing public companies. For more
information, see www.foxwilliams.com

Media Contact
Bell Yard Communications 020 7936 2021 BellYard@bell-yard.com
Louise Beeson 07768 956997 louise@bell-yard.com
Sarah Peters 07977 997927 sarah@bell-yard.com

About Hagens Berman

Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP is one of the largest and most renowned plaintiff-side group
action law firms in the United States. The firm’s tenacious advocacy for plaintiffs has earned it
numerous national accolades, including “Most Feared Plaintiff’s Firm,” and consistent rankings among
a handful of elite plaintiffs’ law firms. More about our law firm and its successes can be found at
www.hbsslaw.com. Follow the firm for updates and news at @ClassActionLaw.

Hagens Berman originally filed its dirty diesel emissions-cheating litigation against Mercedes in the
US on 25 February 2016, and Hagens Berman was one of the lead firms that worked to achieve the
US$14.7 billion Volkswagen Dieselgate settlement in 2016 (having been the first firm to file suit
against Volkswagen in that matter). The firm has also pioneered emissions-cheating litigation against
Audi, BMW, Fiat Chrysler, Ford and General Motors for affected consumers, and conducted
independent research and testing in each case.

Hagens Berman Media Contact

Ashley Klann +1 206-268-9363 pr@hbsslaw.com

20 August 2020