UNIT 18 CLASS ACTION
BLJ AND ANOR V STATE OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA WAD 109 OF 2023
Unit 18 is a unit within Casuarina maximum security adult prison, which has been housing juvenile detainees since July 2022.
The Unit 18 Class Action was filed in Federal Court by two applicants on behalf of current and former detainees of Unit 18. The court has ordered that the names of the applicants not be published, which is why they appear as BIJ23 and BIK23.
If you were transferred to Unit 18 from Banksia Hill, you can be a group member in both the Banksia Hill and Unit 18 Class Actions.
The conditions of detention at Unit 18 are different to those at Banksia Hill, which is why it is the subject of a separate class action.
To access the documents filed in the Federal Court, please click here.
Coronial Inquest into the death of Cleveland Dodd
Cleveland Dodd death by suicide marked Western Australia’s first juvenile death in custody and occurred while he was detained at Unit 18.
A coronial inquest into Cleveland’s death was held between April 2024 and June 2025, with Levitt Robinson Solicitors representing Cleveland’s family.
On 1 July 2025, Coroner Philip Urquhart handed down his preliminary findings and said, “No doubt from the evidence this inquest has revealed that youth justice was in crisis at the time of Cleveland’s death and had been for a considerable time” and foreshadowed recommending a special inquiry be established by the Public Sector Commission examine how Unit 18 came into existence.
As part of his preliminary recommendations on July 1, 2025, Coroner Urquhart said, “During Cleveland’s
last three months of his life, the department failed in its supervision, treatment and care of him”.
The court had been told in Cleveland’s final 93 days in custody, he was locked down in his cell for 22 hours or more on 77 of those days.
The Coroner’s Findings and Recommendations are expected to be handed down in late 2025.
To register your details please complete the form above.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Please read the most common questions and answers below.
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Levitt Robinson Solicitors represent the applicants in both the Banksia Hill and Unit 18 class actions, and are a firm of experienced class action lawyers and have run several successful class actions, including Wotton vs the State of Queensland. For more information on Levitt Robinson, click here.
Update on the Banksia Hill and Unit 18 Class Actions
Filing of the State’s Defences
Last Wednesday 17 September 2025, the State of Western Australia requested a two-month extension to file its defence in both the Banksia Hill and Unit 18 Class Actions. They are now due to be filed in court on the 21 November 2025.
Discovery
Usually, the State’s defence is filed before the parties agree to exchange documents and other records which become ‘evidence’ in the Class Actions used to either support or deny the other party’s claims. This process of exchanging documents and other records is called ‘discovery’.
However, to minimise any further delays to the Class Actions, we have asked the State to reach an agreement with us about discovery at the same time as they finalise their defence.
National Redress Scheme
Do not accept an NRS offer unless and until you have obtained advice from either Levitt Robinson Solicitors or another lawyer.
If you accept an offer from the NRS for abuse you experienced as a child in a government-run institution, it is likely that you will not be able to participate in the Class Actions or to bring another civil claim against the State, even if the NRS offer is for abuse suffered in a different Government run institution.
If you have any questions, please call us on 0406 506 460 or 02 9286 3133.
Unit 18: in the media
