MH370 Update: Malaysian Government Seeks To Strike Out Families' Suit Over Missing Airliner

The Malaysian government has filed an application to strike out a lawsuit brought by family members of several individuals on board Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, which went missing after taking off more than a year ago, local media reported Monday. The application argued that the complaints — brought against the government and three separate organizations — were frivolous and constituted an abuse of the court process.

The lawsuit, which was filed by five family members of three passengers in August, claimed that negligence was responsible for the accident. It also claimed that the Department of Civil Aviation failed to take appropriate action after contact with the flight was lost, and that the airline company failed to ensure the plane was in good condition before takeoff. The case was filed through Ngeow & Tan at the High Court Registry, an article earlier this year said.

Malaysia Airlines Berhad said it was only corporatized in November 2014, eight months after the flight went missing. The company said it was not a successor of Malaysia Airline System Berhad. The Royal Malaysian Air Force has also been named as a defendant.

Flight MH370 went missing on March 8, 2014, after departing Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, en route to Beijing. Few traces revealing what may have happened to the plane have turned up despite a massive, multinational search. Some debris confirmed to be part of the plane’s wing was found earlier this year washed ashore Réunion Island, a French territory in the Indian Ocean. Last week, the Australian agency overseeing the investigation said the search was set to conclude in June. The investigation has been the largest and most expensive aviation investigation in history.

Family members of those missing and presumed dead have been fiercely critical of the handling of the search since it began. They have complained that officials have failed to keep them adequately up to date on the status of the investigation, and have charged authorities with negligence.