KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Airline System Bhd (MAS) and Malaysia Airlines Bhd (MAB) have been issued a July 27 deadline to file their defence against a lawsuit linked to ill-fated Flight MH17.
The High Court made the order against MAS and MAB during today's case management of the legal action by 11 next-of-kin of six cabin crew members, who perished when the MAS commercial airline was shot down over eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014.
MAS' lawyer Lai Wai Fong, who mentioned on behalf of MAB during case management, confirmed the outcome when contacted today.
Lai said the court set Aug 29 for further case management of the suit. High Court judge Datuk Hue Siew Kheng is set to preside over the matter.
Counsel S. Malini appeared for the 11 family members of the six deceased MH17 crew members.
The crew members were in-flight supervisor Mohd Gafar Abu Bakar; leading flight stewardess Lee Hui Pin; flight stewardesses Chong Yee Pheng, Hamfazlin Sham Mohamed Arifin and Nur Shazana Mohamed Salleh; and flight steward Sanjid Singh Sandhu Jijar Singh.
The family members claimed that MAS and MAB had negligently allowed the flight over an area known to be under armed conflict, which posed an unreasonable risk of harm and death to the victims.
They also claimed that the two defendants had failed to have adequate risk assessment systems in place, among others.
Flight MH17, flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was shot down over Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 people onboard.