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Attorney General Paxton Investigating Volkswagen

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AUSTIN (CBSDFW.COM) – Attorney General Ken Paxton today announced Texas is on the executive committee of the multi-state investigation of German car manufacturer Volkswagen.

The State will investigate if Volkswagen violated Texas consumer laws by deceiving car buyers when selling "clean diesel" cars, that were allegedly programmed to manipulate the data produced during emissions standards testing.

"This investigation will determine whether deceptive trade practices were used to convince consumers that their cars were environmentally friendly, when they weren't," Attorney General Ken Paxton said.

According to press reports, Volkswagen vehicle's emissions would run up to 40 times higher than the amount shown during the emissions standards testing. Volkswagen confirmed more than 480,000 such vehicles were sold in the United States.

Texas, along with other state's Attorneys General, will investigate possible violations of consumer protection laws, while various state environmental regulatory agencies will investigate possible violations of environmental protection laws.

The multi-state investigation includes: Alabama, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia.

Paxton was indicted in August on securities fraud charges.

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