Owners or Lessees of a Mercedes-Benz or Sprinter BlueTEC II Diesel Vehicle may be eligible for a CASH PAYMENT from Class Action Settlements

SEATTLE, March 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- JND Legal Administration, the Court-appointed Settlement Administrator, reports that proposed Class Action Settlements have been reached in In re Mercedes-Benz Emissions Litigation, 16-cv-881 (KM) (ESK), pending in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. Under the Class Action Settlements, current owners and lessees can get cash payments of up to $3,590 or more, and former owners and lessees can get up to $897.50. 

If you currently own or lease a Mercedes-Benz or Sprinter BlueTEC II diesel vehicle in the United States, including both Mercedes-Benz- and Freightliner-branded Sprinter diesel vehicles, you may be eligible for a cash payment. See below for a list of the eligible "Subject Vehicles." Cash payments are up to $3,590 ($3,290 from the Mercedes Class Action Settlement, and up to $300 from the Bosch Class Action Settlement) if you get an "Approved Emission Modification" (AEM) installed in your vehicle (free of charge to you); or $2,692.50 (once the AEM is installed, $2,467.50 from the Mercedes Class Action Settlement, and up to $225 from the Bosch Class Action Settlement) if a former owner or lessee submits a Valid Claim for the same vehicle.  You may also be eligible for additional payments, depending on the vehicle you own or lease. 

Former owners and lessees of Mercedes-Benz or Sprinter BlueTEC II diesel vehicles in the United States may be entitled to up to $897.50 ($822.50 from the Mercedes Class Action Settlement, and up to $75 from the Bosch Class Action Settlement).  Please visit mbbluetecsettlement.com for more details.   

Current owners and lessees must have an AEM installed to receive the cash payments.  Installation is available free of charge to you and you will receive an Extended Modification Warranty after the installation.  AEMs are available now for certain Subject Vehicles. Visit mbbluetecsettlement.com, where you can access a link to type in your VIN or review a list of all Subject Vehicle models that are ready for the AEM installation.  You may also call 1-877-313-0170 toll-free to find out whether an AEM is available for your Subject Vehicle.  As AEMs for vehicles become available, owners and lessees of those vehicles will receive a mailed notice.  Updates regarding the AEMs and the Class Action Settlements can be found at mbbluetecsettlement.com.

The settlement website, mbbluetecsettlement.com, will allow current and former vehicle owners/lessees to register for more information.  Registration on the website alone does not constitute a Valid Claim for cash benefits.  If you wish to claim a Class Member Payment, you must submit a Valid Claim by the applicable due date, even if you have registered on the website for updates.  Please see below concerning the requirement to submit a Valid Claim to receive cash benefits.

WHO IS INCLUDED IN THE PROPOSED SETTLEMENTS?

If you purchased or leased and Registered a Subject Vehicle in the United States, you may be a Class Member and eligible for a cash payment, even if you no longer own or lease the Subject Vehicle.  Subject Vehicles include the following Models/Model Years: E250 BlueTEC (2014-2016); E350 BlueTEC (2011-2013); GL320 BlueTEC (2009); GL350 BlueTEC (2010-2016); GLE300d (2016); GLE350d (2016); GLK250 BlueTEC (2013-2015); ML250 BlueTEC (2015); ML320 BlueTEC (2009); ML350 BlueTEC (2010-2014); R320 BlueTEC (2009); R350 BlueTEC (2010-2012); S350 BlueTEC (2012-2013); Mercedes-Benz or Freightliner Sprinter (4-cylinder) (2014-2016); and Mercedes-Benz or Freightliner Sprinter (6-cylinder) (2010-2016).

WHAT ARE MY OPTIONS?

If you are a Class Member, you may (1) submit a Valid Claim for payment; (2) do nothing (and get no payment); (3) exclude yourself from the Class ("opt out"); (4) object to the Class Action Settlements; and/or (5) go to a hearing about the fairness of the Class Action Settlements.

• If you do nothing, you will get no payment and you will give up your rights to sue Daimler AG and Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (the "Mercedes Defendants") and Robert Bosch GmbH and Robert Bosch LLC (the "Bosch Defendants") about any of the claims in this case.
• If you exclude yourself ("opt out") from the Class, you will not be a member of the Class and you will not be eligible for a payment under the Class Action Settlements, but you will keep your right to sue against the Mercedes Defendants and Bosch Defendants about the claims in this case, and you can still have the AEM installed in your vehicle.
• If you object (i.e., tell the Court what you don't like about one of the settlements or both of them), you will stay in the Class. You must submit a Valid Claim to receive a cash payment, even if you object. If you object and the Court approves the Class Action Settlements, you will be bound by the settlements and give up your right to sue the Mercedes Defendants and the Bosch Defendants about any of the claims in this case.

The postmark deadline for objections and requests for exclusion is May 24, 2021. Please see the Long Form Notice posted at mbbluetecsettlement.com or call 1-877-313-0170 for complete instructions on how to file a claim, object, or exclude yourself, and other important information. 

The Court will hold a Fairness Hearing on July 12, 2021 at 10:30 a.m. Eastern Time, at the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, located at the Martin Luther King Building & United States Courthouse, 50 Walnut Street, Newark, NJ 07102. At the hearing, the Court will consider whether to approve the Class Action Settlements, payment of attorneys' fees and expenses, payments to Settlement Class Representatives, and related issues.  Any attorneys' fees and costs or payments to Settlement Class Representatives will not reduce payments to Class Members under the Mercedes Class Action Settlement.  Any fees and costs awarded by the Court to Class Counsel in connection with the Bosch Class Action Settlement will reduce individual payments to Class Members under that settlement by no more than 25%. The motions for fees, costs, and incentive awards will be available at mbbluetecsettlement.com after they are filed and before the Fairness Hearing.  You may attend the Fairness Hearing, but you are not required to.

HOW CAN I GET A PAYMENT?

Current and former owners and lessees may be eligible for cash payments.  To claim a cash payment, Class Members must submit a Valid Claim by the deadlines below and posted on the settlement website.

If you are a current owner or lessee of a Registered Subject Vehicle and have not opted-out from the Class, you can receive a payment by (1) having the AEM installed on your vehicle and (2) submitting a Valid Claim by October 1, 2022.  Here are the steps to receive a payment: 

1. Once an AEM for your vehicle is available, contact your preferred authorized dealership to schedule an appointment to have the AEM installed.  AEMs are free of charge to you.  Authorized Mercedes–Benz dealerships can be found at mbusa.com/en/dealers.  Authorized Freightliner Sprinter dealerships can be found at freightlinersprinterusa.com/freightliner/shopping-tools/find-a-dealer. 
2. AEMs are available now for the Subject Vehicles included on the AEM availability list at mbbluetecsettlement.com.  As AEMs for other vehicles become available, owners and lessees of those vehicles will receive a mailed notice.  Please continue to check mbbluetecsettlement.com for updated information.  You may also call 1-877-313-0170 toll-free to find out whether an AEM is available for your Subject Vehicle.
3. Bring your vehicle to your appointment for installation of the AEM.  You must complete the AEM installation before you submit a claim.  Make sure to keep your repair order to submit with your claim, as well as receipts for any travel to and from the dealership for the AEM installation.  If your appointment takes three hours or more and you are not offered a loaner vehicle, shuttle, or alternative form of transportation, you may be eligible to receive reimbursement up to $35 for travel expenses.
4. Submit a valid Claim Form and all required documents by October 1, 2022 at mbbluetecsettlement.com or by mail (postmarked by October 1, 2022) to:

MB Blue Tec Settlementc/o JND Legal AdministrationPO Box 91310Seattle, WA 98111

If you are a former owner or lessee of a Registered Subject Vehicle, you must submit a Valid Claim by July 12, 2021, or by the date the Court finally approves the Mercedes Class Action Settlement (if after July 12, 2021) at mbbluetecsettlement.com or by mail to the address listed directly above.  Please visit mbbluetecsettlement.com for updates about the deadline to submit your claim.

Check mbbluetecsettlement.com often for information about the date of final Court approval of the Class Action Settlements and other updates. 

HOW CAN I GET MORE INFORMATION?

Visit mbbluetecsettlement.com or call 1-877-313-0170 for more details about the Class Action Settlements, to register for updates, and to learn more about your rights and options.  

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SOURCE JND Legal Administration