Judge Faces Deadline On $15B Volkswagen Emissions Deal

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal judge in San Francisco is facing a deadline on whether to approve a nearly $15 billion deal over Volkswagen's emissions cheating scandal that gives most affected car owners the option of having the company buy back their vehicles.

U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer said at a hearing last week that he was strongly inclined to give the deal final approval and would issue a ruling by Tuesday. It would be the largest auto-scandal settlement in U.S. history.

The deal before Breyer calls for Volkswagen to spend up to $10 billion to buy back or repair about 475,000 Volkswagens and Audi vehicles with 2-liter diesel engines and pay their owners an additional $5,100 to $10,000 each.

The settlement also includes $2.7 billion for environmental mitigation and $2 billion to promote zero-emissions vehicles.

[STORY BY: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS]