Nineteen residents of a Sydney aged care facility died during COVID-19 and some of their loved ones will get a payout as part of a confidential legal settlement.
Mark Fahey was the lead plaintiff in a class action against Anglicare Sydney and the Nepean-Blue Mountains Local Health District, after his mother Ann became the 14th resident of the Newmarch House aged care home to die of the virus in May 2020.
Her death came three weeks into an outbreak beginning that April at the facility in Sydney's west, where 19 people died from the virus.
Shine Lawyers class actions special counsel Atanaan Ilango on Monday confirmed the settlement, adding that it will hopefully provide family members a way forward as they navigate their grief.
The law firm represented relatives of six of the 19 residents who died from COVID-19 as well as others who died at the nursing home.
A previous statement of claim in the matter sought damages, interest and costs, plus "such further orders as the court considers appropriate".
The terms of the settlement have not been made public.
A coronial inquest into the deaths at Newmarch House took place in 2022 but is yet to deliver findings.
A spokesperson for the Nepean-Blue Mountains Local Health District said an in-principle settlement had been reached, but the terms remain confidential.
An Anglicare Sydney spokesperson said they were unable to comment further.
Settlements require approval from a judge and the case returns to the NSW Supreme Court on November 15.
