The legal action launched in the Netherlands on behalf of some former Fiat Chrysler Automobiles investors could resume with an appeal hearing that the FCIRS foundation says will take place on October 5, 2026. The Amsterdam Court of Appeal has not yet published an equally detailed public notice confirming that date, and the next step will not determine whether Stellantis must compensate shareholders.
Stellantis faces renewed FCA Dieselgate challenge as investors return to court
The Fiat Chrysler Investors Recovery Stichting is challenging a July 23, 2025 ruling by the District Court of North Holland, which declared the collective action inadmissible. The judges identified shortcomings in the foundation’s representativeness and in the information provided about the investors it claimed to represent. They also examined the organization’s governance and financing structure.
The appeal will therefore focus on whether FCIRS meets the requirements needed to continue the case. Any examination of liability and potential damages would come only at a later stage if the foundation succeeds.
The action concerns investors who purchased FCA shares listed in Milan between October 13, 2014 and May 23, 2017. FCIRS argues that FCA failed to properly inform the market about US investigations into diesel-engine emissions and delayed the disclosure of certain price-sensitive information. Stellantis became involved as FCA’s legal successor after completing its merger with PSA in January 2021.
The emissions controversy behind the financial claim involved around 104,000 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Ram 1500 vehicles from the 2014 through 2016 model years equipped with the 3.0-liter diesel engine. On January 12, 2017, the EPA accused FCA of failing to disclose certain software functions that could alter emissions management. The US Department of Justice then filed a lawsuit on May 23 of the same year. Those allegations later formed part of the civil settlement reached in 2019.
A separate proceeding by the Securities and Exchange Commission focused instead on FCA’s communications with investors. According to the SEC, FCA described a 2016 internal review as comprehensive even though it had a more limited scope and did not adequately disclose concerns already raised by the EPA and California regulators. In September 2020, FCA agreed to pay a $9.5 million civil penalty without admitting or denying the regulator’s findings.
If FCIRS’ October 5 date is confirmed, the upcoming hearing will not reopen the US emissions case itself. Instead, the court will decide whether the organization can collectively represent European investors. Only a favorable ruling would allow the compensation claims to move forward to a substantive review.
