The family of a Tongan man who fell to his death from a basketball pole at a detention centre in Melbourne is seeking damages in a landmark legal case.
Fifty-three-year-old Viliami Tanginoa, died on the 22nd of December, 2000, after plunging head-first to his death, while protesting against his imminent deportation.
The lawyer representing the family, Dina Tutungi, says Mr Tanginoa wouldn't have died had adequate measures been taken to alleviate the situation.
She says there was a blatant disregard for Mr Tanginoa's life, and prospects of recovering compensation are good.
Mr Tanginoa's family, who live in Tonga, are seeking compensation from the federal government and former detention centre operator, Australasian Correctional Management, for an undisclosed sum, for pain and suffering, and loss of income.
It's the first legal case claiming the wrongful death of a detainee in Australia.
