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Nashville Firm Piles On VW With Its Own Class-Action Suit

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A Nashville law firm has filed the region’s first class-action suit against Volkswagen for duping air quality regulators. The attorneys hope to represent Tennessee VW owners in any litigation.

The race to the courthouse actually began Friday, when the Environmental Protection Agency revealed Volkswagen programmed its diesel cars to cheat emissions tests. One class-action suit was filed in California mere hours after the news broke. The personal injury lawyer 
told Reuters he could move quickly because it was so easy to find a plaintiff — a fellow lawyer.

Barrett Johnston Martin & Garrison in Nashville, which specializes in class-action cases, didn’t have to look outside the legal community either. The plaintiff is retired judge Walter Kurtz of Nashville, who owns a diesel Jetta.

“Though he’s been a judge for more than 30 years, in this case he wanted to take part in the judicial system to enforce his rights and enforce the rights of others who have purchased this vehicle that is not what it was represented to be,” attorney David Garrison said.

The
suit, filed in federal court for the Middle District of Tennessee, is one of more than two-dozen cases representing VW diesel owners.

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Blake Farmer, Host, This Is Nashville

Blake Farmer is the host of “This Is Nashville,” the flagship weekday show of Nashville Public Radio. Previously, Blake spent 16 years at WPLN News, serving as host, editor and news director. Before a two-year radio hiatus with a Nashville-based healthcare company, Blake was one of the country’s most prolific healthcare audio journalists. He produced stories for both local and national programs, extending the reach of his reporting through a partnership with KFF Health News. Outside of work, Blake can be found running or biking on roads that other Nashvillians consider too busy for such activities. So far, he has always made it home to his wife of 20 years and two children.

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