A German federal court judge cast doubt on Volkswagen's <VOWG_p.DE> reasoning after the carmaker urged the court to dismiss a claim for damages from a diesel customer.
Tuesday's proceedings were the first time that Germany's Federal Court of Justice, or Bundesgerichtshof, heard arguments from a plaintiff seeking damages from VW because it had sold vehicles with manipulated diesel engines.
Any ruling in this landmark case will serve as a guideline for other cases.
Presiding judge Stephan Seiters said several arguments brought forward by Volkswagen were not applicable.
The case is about a Volkswagen customer who sued the company for having sold a car with a manipulated diesel engine so that it could pass emissions tests. The man had been awarded 26,000 euros in damages by a lower court.
The plaintiff is seeking higher damages, while VW has asked the court to dismiss the claim altogether.
A ruling will be made at a later point in time, the judge said.
(Reporting by Hans Seidenstuecker; writing by Thomas Seythal)
