Judge Sets March 23 Conference in 3G Telematics Suits vs. VW

U.S. Magistrate Judge Edward Kiel for New Jersey in Newark set a telephonic initial scheduling conference for March 23 at 9:15 a.m. EDT in two related and consolidated class actions against Volkswagen Group of America, said his letter order Tuesday (dockets 2:22-cv-05896 and 2:22-cv-06230). Both complaints allege VW duped consumers by failing to disclose the vehicles they were buying had outdated telematics equipment onboard that would render their roadside assistance features unusable after AT&T shut down its 3G service. The complaints were filed in October, but VW hasn't answered either of them. They're among about a half-dozen similar complaints in various jurisdictions that allege some of the major automakers had advance knowledge of AT&T’s 3G shutdown but did nothing to upgrade their vehicles’ telematics, and failed to tell consumers about the impending loss of their roadside assistance services (see 2211070032).