Overview
- A German regional labour court upheld an earlier ruling and dismissed demands by two former senior Volkswagen managers for a total of €7.5 million in damages and pain‑and‑suffering.
- The managers say they were disadvantaged after reporting possible health‑hazardous emissions from the high roofs of two VW commercial‑vehicle models and invoked the German Whistleblower Protection Act.
- Judges said the plaintiffs did not show they had a legal right to a promotion that was wrongfully denied and did not prove a causal link between alleged reprisals and a compensable loss.
- Volkswagen has repeatedly denied the claims, saying there were no reprisals and no health risk from the parts, and the company has fired the two managers who are contesting those dismissals in separate suits.
- The decision is not final because the court allowed revision to the Federal Labour Court, which could clarify how German labour law and the whistleblower statute apply to promotion claims and alleged retaliation.