According to a Monday court order, Mr Mueller is expected to be tapped to serve as a special master in consolidated litigation in San Francisco against the German automaker. ‘There is an urgent need to determine if all or some of the pending matters can be resolved by the parties sooner rather than later,’ Judge Charles Breyer wrote in the order. ‘There are few, if any, people with more … relevant experience than Mr Mueller.’

Consolidating 500 lawsuits

The VW litigation, which seeks compensation for owners and dealers of cars containing the ‘defeat device’, is still in its early stages. Over 100 lawyers from across the US have asked the court to be given a role in steering the case, which consolidates some 500 lawsuits. Judge Breyer will consider the requests later this month.

Compensation fund

Outside of the litigation, VW has named victims-compensation expert Kenneth Feinberg to run a compensation fund for US car owners with claims tied to the affected vehicles. However, those who seek money from such funds typically must sign away their rights to pursue claims in court. Source: The Wall Street Journal