MUNICH -- A German court rebuffed Volkswagen Group's attempt to prevent prosecutors from using information seized during searches of the law firm the automaker hired to investigate its emissions scandal.
VW last week filed a complaint with a Munich court to prevent prosecutors from retaining and assessing material confiscated during a March 15 raid on U.S. law firm Jones Day.
The automaker said it would use every legal step to counter the actions by Munich prosecutors.
But a Munich local court has now decided that the raids by prosecutors on Jones Day as well as on VW and Audi, both of which were also searched separately on March 15, were legitimate, a court spokeswoman said on Monday.
Munich prosecutors said the decision by the local court to reject VW's complaint would also be checked by a Munich district court.
"There is no change in our position," a VW spokesman said Monday. "We adhere to our legal opinion."
Jones Day had no immediate comment.
VW's supervisory board commissioned Jones Day in late 2015 to investigate the diesel emissions test-cheating scandal.
