THE $1 billion class action lawsuit to be filed against the state by 2011 flood victims is expected to be lodged before the end of the year.
Law firm Maurice and Blackburn, with financial backing from IMF Australia, is confident the lawsuit will go ahead, more than 18 months since plans for the class action were announced.
Maurice Blackburn principal Damian Scattini said flood data collected from city councils is currently being analysed by American hydrology experts who are finalising their findings.
Mr Scattini said the law firm was erring on the side of caution, ensuring the lawsuit is rock solid when presented to the state.
"We are well on track in finalising the statement of claim.
"They are just checking and re-checking, because there is a huge amount of area. There is 340km of Brisbane River alone," he said.
"It's all going very well. We are extremely confident it is going to proceed.
"We expect to have something in place by the end of the year." He said around 5000 residents from Brisbane and Ipswich have signed up to the lawsuit, but he expects that number to increase once the case is finalised.
"There is obviously a lot of interest in the case because it has affected so many people and caused so much damage," he said.
"We gathered a lot of data from the councils and elsewhere and we have provided it to the experts and they are finalising there report." It is expected more public meetings will be held in Ipswich before the end of the year to update residents about the law suit's progression.
Around 200 flood victims attended a public meeting at the Ipswich Showgrounds in March last year.
The emotional meeting attracted many people believing it may be their last chance to recoup financial losses from the insurance policies.
In January Maurice Blackburn released a detailed flood map, showing the areas which they believe would have avoided the rising flood waters from Wivenhoe Dam.
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9.10.13
