DETMOLD (dpa-AFX) - In the case of the climate lawsuit filed by an organic farmer against the Volkswagen Group, the Detmold Regional Court plans to announce on Feb. 24 how to proceed. The court has on Friday in a session lasting about 30 minutes of the plaintiff's side again communicated its legal concerns, a spokesman said at noon. According to the court, at least parts of the lawsuit are probably not admissible.

At the pronouncement date in about three weeks, the district court could then dismiss the lawsuit in a ruling or decide that it will enter into the taking of evidence. So far, according to spokesman Wolfram Wormuth, the court lacks, for example, concrete information on current health impairments of the plaintiff by Volkswagen.

Ulf Allhoff-Cramer, an eco-farmer from Detmold who is supported by the environmental organization Greenpeace, is suing the carmaker because the carmaker is impairing him in central legal rights such as property, health and the right to preserve "greenhouse gas-related freedom" due to the climate-related consequences of its business activities.

The plaintiff also wants VW to be allowed to use internal combustion engines in a maximum of 25 percent of the passenger cars and light commercial vehicles sold throughout the group from 2021 to 2029 inclusive - and none at all from 2030. The farmer claims that the global corporation is partly responsible for considerable damage to his farm and the associated forest. VW had emphasized before the regional court that it was making great efforts to reduce CO2 and to drive forward decisive developments in e-mobility.

The court in Detmold and the parties to the proceedings had already met for two hearings last year. So far, the issues in each case have been the merits and admissibility of the lawsuit. The plaintiff's attorney then made improvements and filed new motions. The court will announce in around three weeks whether the necessary threshold has now been reached. Proceedings similar to those in Detmold are also underway at the Regional Court in Braunschweig./lic/DP/jha