Shine Lawyers has settled a class action on behalf of eighteen people whose loved ones died from Covid-19, as a result of alleged negligent health care during pandemic lockdowns, at Anglicare’s Newmarch House aged care facility. The settlement is subject to court approval and the terms of the settlement remain confidential.
The case was led by Mark Fahey, whose mother, Ann, died on 2 May 2020 - three weeks after the virus broke out at the home. She was the 14th Newmarch resident to die from Covid-19.
“We have carried the weight of loss and grief as a family for more than four years.”
“I will always feel that nan was robbed of a few more years on this earth because of the pandemic. The settlement is necessary acknowledgment of what we have endured as a family, as a result of losing her through tragic circumstances,” said Nicole Jagodzinski (nee Fahey), Ann’s granddaughter.
Shine Lawyers Class Actions Special Counsel Atanaan Ilango said, “this settlement, which is still subject to Court approval, will hopefully provide group members with a way forward as they navigate their grief.”
The class action is comprised of the families of six of the nineteen residents who died from the virus directly and a further two families whose loved ones passed away as a result of allegedly negligent care in the facility.
An inquest into the negligence was held in August 2022. The findings are yet to be delivered.
