It’s been almost four years since the cholera outbreak began in Haiti following the disastrous earthquake.

Since then, the disease—brought to the Caribbean nation by United Nations troops from Nepal—has claimed the lives of over 8,500 Haitians and sickened over 700,000.

Yet the UN has continued to evade responsibility for the deadly outbreak, and victims have spent years seeking legal redress, including filing a class action lawsuit in federal court in the Southern District of New York demanding UN compensation for the disease that continues its grip on the country. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was personally served court papers in June.

The outbreak, the suit charges, “resulted from the negligent, reckless, and tortious conduct of the Defendants: the United Nations (“UN”); its subsidiary, the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (“MINUSTAH”); and at least two of their officers.” The defendants have a legal obligation to provide redress, the suit says.  The United States, however, submitted to U.S. District Judge J. Paul Oetken in March a filing in support of the UN, stating that the body “enjoys absolute immunity.”

Click Here: NRL Telstra Premiership

But the victims’ journey towards justice took a positive step on Tuesday when Judge Oetken granted oral argument in the case. The court date is set for Oct. 23 in New York.