Lawyers representing two young boys recently filed suit against Malaysia Airlines for being negligent in the loss of their father, a passenger on Flight MH370.
Jee Jing Hang was on board the flight headed to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur when it disappeared on March 8.
Representatives for the children claim that Jee Jinson, 13, and Jee Kinland, 11, suffered from mental distress, emotional pain, and loss of financial support following their father's death. Mr Jee earned nearly 17,000 ringgit - or $5,200 - per month operating an internet business.
In addition to suing the airline, the attorneys have charged the directors-general of Civil Aviation and Immigration, Malaysia's Air Force chief, and the Malaysian government with gross neglect and breach of duty.
"We have waited for eight months," one of the Jee children's attorneys, Arunan Selvaraj, said.
"After speaking to various experts, we believe that we have sufficient evidence for a strong case. A big plane missing in this age of technology is really unacceptable."
"Our clients are after the truth," the legal team continued in a statement. "We have confidence in our judiciary system that this suit will be heard and dealt with fairly."
The suit is the first litigation filed on behalf of a family member of an MH370 passenger. A Chinese man, Steve Wang, whose mother was on board, said that some other Chinese families are considering pressing charges.
"We are examining the laws to figure out how to best bring our cases—for example, if we should file the suits in Malaysia," Wang reported.
"But without knowing where the plane is, evidence is lacking, and there are still possibilities that things may change," he continued. "For now, it looks very difficult for us to bring a suit against the Malaysian government and its military."
No debris or evidence of a crash site have been found, despite a lengthy and expensive search conducted by several international agencies. There were 239 persons on board the aircraft.
