By Dora Houpis
A businessman in the west who has restaurants in Keilor Park and Bundoora is the lead plaintiff in a class action against the state government that was last week given the go ahead to proceed.
More than 1000 businesses, including some in the west, have signed up to the class action.
The lead plaintiff is Anthony Ferrara who, according to the eatery’s website owns two 5 Districts NY restaurants, one of which is in Keilor Park and the other of which is in Bundoora.
On Friday, August 26, Victoria’s Supreme Court ruled a class action would proceed against the state government, key ministers, and bureaucrats over the alleged mismanagement of the state’s hotel quarantine
program that forced businesses into Victoria’s second lockdown.
Justice John Dixon’s ruling followed a two-year battle for businesses to fight for compensation.
Quinn Emanuel partner Damian Scattini, who is leading the class action, said more than two years on, business owners were still paying the price for the lockdown and the court’s ruling was an important win.
“When the Victorian government decided to run a mandatory hotel quarantine program, it took on a duty to ensure it was managed properly,” he said.
“If the hotel quarantine program had been handled competently by the people in charge, there would not have been a second lockdown.”
The second lockdown was in August 2020.
“That lockdown decimated businesses and through this class action, we are giving business owners a way to get back some of what they lost,” Mr Scattini said.
He said one gym owner had gone from earning $10,000 a week to $50 a week.
A state government spokesperson said the government had noted the decision of the Supreme Court.
The spokesperson said it would be inappropriate to comment further while the matter remained before the court.
For updates or to register for the class action, go to www.hotelquarantineclassaction.com.au.
For further information e-mail HQclassaction@quinnemanuel.com.
