Application to represent kin rejected

KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court here has dismissed an application by two lawyers from the United States to represent 76 family members of 32 MH370 passengers in their negligence suit against Malaysia Airlines (MAS) and four others.

Justice Datuk Hanipah Farikullah in her decision against Steven C. Marks and Roy Kalman Altman said they did not satisfy the criteria to represent the plaintiffs under Section 3 of the Legal Profession Act 1976.

“The plaintiffs may call legal foreign experts to testify and I believe Tommy Thomas has sufficient experience to conduct the case,” she said after listening to the submission by Thomas, who represented the two lawyers in their application.

Besides MAS, the other defendants are Malaysia Airlines Bhd (MAB), Civil Aviation Department (DCA) directorgeneral, Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) and the Malaysian government.

MAS is represented by counsel Saranjit Singh; MAB, by counsel Sanjeev Kumar; and, the DCA director-general, RMAF and government, by senior federal counsel Alice Loke.

Counsel Farez Jinnah is holding a watching brief for the Bar Council.

The two US lawyers had applied to represent the plaintiffs based on their expertise in handling airline industry cases.

On March 7, the plaintiffs filed the civil suit against the defendants for the disappearance of their kin on MH370 while en route to Beijing on March 8, 2014. Bernama