Australian Federal Court Justice John Halley has ruled that the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority is immune from foreign prosecution and that claims under the Montreal Convention against Qatar Airways could not be brought.
The women were granted leave to sue MATAR for breaching their duty of care by allowing non-employees to conduct the examinations, sparking a backlash in Australia and influencing government decisions regarding Qatar Airways flights.
In October 2020, five Australian women claimed they were forced to undergo intimate and invasive medical examinations after a newborn baby was discovered in a rubbish bin at Doha airport.
The women sought to sue Qatar Airways, the QCAA, and MATAR for negligence, assault, and false imprisonment, but have now been denied the right to do so by the Federal Court of Australia.
