Turning point The settlements mark a key turning point in the prolonged saga following the disclosure of VW's rigged diesel violations, freeing the auto maker from nine months of near silence. Ongoing investigations by the EPA and Department of Justice and, more recently, a court-imposed gag order have barred VW from publicly discussing the matter in-depth. The company has faced a withering assault from investors, vehicle owners, municipalities as well as regulatory and criminal investigators in the U.S. and in Germany. Yet the settlements filed today don't resolve all claims stemming from the emissions violations. VW still must reach an agreement with regulators on whether it will offer to buy back 85,000 larger 3.0-liter Porsche, Audi and VW cars and SUVs that emitted up to nine times legally allowable pollution and how much it may face in civil fines for admitting to violating the Clean Air Act. A deal covering the 3.0-liter vehicles may still be months away.