6 St James' Hall Counsel Dr Christopher Ward SC, Richard Reynolds and Stephanie Erian, instructed by Marque Lawyers, have successfully represented a group of women who were subjected to non-consensual examinations in Doha in 2020, whilst travelling to Australia on board a Qatar Airways Flight.
The Full Federal Court unanimously upheld the women’s appeal against an earlier decision that the proceedings be struck out on grounds that included consideration of the exclusivity provisions of the Montreal Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules for International Carriage by Air. The claims against Qatar Airways and the airport operator will now proceed to a final hearing before the Federal Court.
Separate proceedings against the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority were dismissed on grounds of foreign State immunity.
The matter has received significant press attention, including in the ABC and BBC.
Reasons for judgment can be found on the links below.
