With Volkswagen facing as much as $18 billion in liability for its ongoing diesel disaster scandal and up to 20 lawsuits, General Counsel David Geanacopoulos is likely to face the spotlight soon.
The German car company came under fire on September 18 when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) accused Volkswagen of installing software — so-called “defeat devices” — on 500,000 of its clean diesel vehicles designed to cheat smog tests in the United States.
The German automaker announced four days later that the number was actually a lot higher: 11 million of its vehicles were outfitted with the same software.
In the wake of the scandal CEO Martin Winterkorn stepped down after eight years at the helm of the company. U.S. CEO Michael Horn also left the company after less than two years on the job. His departure came after a meeting of the company’s full board. A subcommittee of Volkswagen’s board had pledged to shake up the company’s executive lineup.
All of this leaves Geanacopoulos in a tough position. In addition to the EPA investigation, which first uncovered wrongdoing, the United States Congress has announced plans to hold hearings, and the Justice Department is reportedly gearing up for a criminal investigation, according to Bloomberg.
A survey by {[Bloomberg] Big Law Business of the nation’s court dockets revealed approximately 20 federal lawsuits have already been filed against Volkswagen since the company’s misconduct came to light.
Prior to taking over as General Counsel of Volkswagen Group of America in 2008, Geanacopoulos served as the company’s Director of Industry, Government Relations, and Vice President for Public Policy. Before joining Volkswagen, he was a partner in Akin Gump’s Washington D.C. office.
According to the company’s website, Geanacopoulos “is responsible for the Company’s legal affairs in the United States, for government relations, and public affairs.”
