BUTTERWORTH: The High Court here has fixed Nov 30 for case management in the lawsuit by the family of two Chinese nationals who died after an uprooted tree and part of a wall fell on their vehicle at the Pinang Peranakan Mansion parking lot in September 2024.
The date was fixed following a disagreement between the plaintiffs' and defence lawyers over documentation of the issues and facts to be determined during the trial.
High Court judge Justice Suraiya Mustafa Kamal said the new dates for the full trial would also be decided on Nov 30.
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She also directed the plaintiffs' and defence lawyers to finalise the facts and issues to be tried before Nov 26.
The lawyer for the family, Ng Kian Nam, said the case had to start afresh after a change of judges.
"We have no choice, we have to start everything again," he told reporters when met outside court on Monday (Sept 7).
The son and brother of the deceased, Liu Yu Hui, 44, and his wife, Li Dong Mei, 44, were also present for the proceedings, as well as a representative from the Chinese Embassy.
The victims were Liu Zhu, 69, and his daughter Liu Xinxin, 36.
They left behind Xinxin's mother, husband, sibling and 11-year-old child.
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In January last year, the plaintiff initiated legal action against six parties: the museum operator, proprietor, tree owner, local tourist agency, the tour guide/driver engaged by the duo during their trip, and the Penang Island City Council (MBPP).
The family, from Heilongjiang in China, is demanding RM1.7mil in damages for the deaths of the father and daughter in the incident.
They are also seeking an apology from the defendants.
It was reported that on Sept 18, 2024, a man and his daughter were killed in the parking lot of Pinang Peranakan Mansion in Lebuh Gereja here.
A wall with a tree growing off it collapsed onto the car that the tourists were in, killing them on the spot.
