KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 21 — The High Court here today 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 Airline System Berhad (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 Berhad (MAB), Civil Aviation Department (DCA) director-general, Royal Malaysian Air Force and 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 76 plaintiffs filed the civil suit against the defendants for the disappearance of their family members on MH370 while en route to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur on March 8, 2014.

The plaintiffs comprise 66 Chinese nationals, eight Indian nationals and two US citizens who are relatives of 26 Chinese nationals, five Indian nationals and one American that were on the plane. — Bernama