Ministry of Justice

Leave to appeal application – s 149 Accident Compensation Act 2001. Whether entitled to deemed cover. Whether Corporation correctly suspended entitlements. Whether Reviewer correctly awarded only certain of requested costs. Sufficient grounds not established to sustain application. Outcome: application dismissed. No issue as to costs.

Costs of appeal – s 149 Accident Compensation Act 2001. Whether Appellant liable for costs. Outcome: Appeal dismissed. Appellant ordered to pay Respondent $2,196.50 in costs.

Personal injury - s 26 Accident Compensation Corporation 2001. Appellant sought cover for a whiplash injury from a digger accident, weekly compensation, and funding for treatment. Medical evidence indicated a causal link between Appellant's symptoms and the accident. Appellant entitled to cover. Outcome: appeal allowed.

Treatment Injury – s 32 Accident Compensation Act 2001. Whether appellant suffered treatment injury due to delayed administration of steroid treatment for sudden hearing loss. Medical evidence did not establish, on the balance of probabilities, that earlier treatment would have led to better outcome. Outcome: appeal dismissed. 

Leave to Appeal to High Court – s 162 Accident Compensation Act 2001. Whether the District erred in law in upholding ACC’s decision to revoke deemed cover, suspend entitlements, and decline surgery funding. No error in law capable of bona fide and serious argument in original decision. Outcome: application dismissed.

Leave to appeal to the High Court - s 162 Accident Compensation Act 2001. Whether sufficient grounds, as a matter of law, to sustain his application for leave to appeal. No error of law capable of bona fide and serious argument. Outcome: appeal dismissed.

Claim for interest on weekly compensation - s 114 Accident Compensation Act 2001. Appeal against decision dismissing review of the Appellant's entitlement to interest on backdated weekly compensation. Date of entitlement to interest on backdated compensation considered to be correctly assessed. Outcome: appeal dismissed.    

Review of claim for social rehabilitation. Sections 81 and 84 Accident Compensation Act 2001. Whether reviewer correctly dismissed review application for want of jurisdiction and separate application to review Corporation’s decision to decline to fund lawnmower and hydrotherapy. Reviewer correctly dismissed first application as issue estoppel applied. It was not established that the Corporation made an error of law in respect of the second application. Application dismissed.

Appeal regarding the cessation of weekly compensation and entitlement to treatment for a finger injury. Claim for weekly compensation for incapacity and claim for entitlements for treatments and pain management – s 67, s 64, and s 100(1)(a). Whether the appellant is entitled to weekly compensation due to her injury. Held: appellant capable of engaging in her pre-injury employment and similar roles, therefore not entitled to weekly compensation. Outcome: appeal dismissed.

Leave to Appeal to the High Court – s 162 Accident Compensation Act 2001. Whether sufficient grounds, as matter of law, to sustain application for leave to appeal. Applicant failed to establish error of law capable of bona fide and serious argument. Outcome: application dismissed.

Late filing of an appeal to the District Court – s 151, Accident Compensation Act 2001. Delay of nearly 21 months. Delay arose out of error or inadvertence. No history of non-cooperation or delay. No prejudice to Corporation and Corporation did not oppose leave being granted. Interests of justice required exercise of Court’s discretion to sustain application for leave to file appeal out of time. Outcome: application granted. 

Claim for deemed cover – ss 135, 146; claim for personal injury, ss 20, 25, 26, Accident Compensation Act 2001. Whether Reviewer was deemed to have made a decision in Appellant’s favour on basis that a review application was completed by Appellant’s GP and filed with Corporation but was not set down within three months. Whether injuries and inability to work were caused by Appellant’s accident. Deemed decision did not arise. Corporation correctly revoked and declined cover for Appellant’s pain in lumbar spine. Corporation correctly declined Appellant’s claim for weekly compensation. Corporation correctly declined cover for lumbar disc prolapse with radiculopathy in relation to accident. Outcome: appeal dismissed, decision of Reviewer upheld.

Treatment Injury – s 32 Accident Compensation Act 2001. Whether causal link between Appellant’s dental implant (treatment) and gingival overgrowth and teeth movement (personal injury). On weight of medical evidence, there was no causal link between the treatment and the injury, therefore treatment injury not established. Outcome: appeal dismissed.