The Canterbury Earthquakes Insurance Tribunal opened on 10 June 2019.

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38 items matching your search terms

  1. D Trust v IAG New Zealand Ltd & Max C & Max E & Orange H M & Orange H G & QBE [2019] CEIT 0037 [PDF, 158 KB]

    Admissibility of evidence / litigant in person included submissions in affidavit / Tribunal prepared to make allowances for litigants in person who do not appreciate difference between submissions & evidence / counsel not expected to cross-examine arguments / homeowners not expected to incur unnecessary expense in calling expert witnesses / Tribunal has discretion to admit evidence that might otherwise be inadmissible, including hearsay evidence / Canterbury Earthquakes Insurance Tribunal Act 2019, s 37 / evidence not relevant to present stage of proceedings but still relevant & necessary to proceedings / Tribunal not prepared to strike out submissions / reports of expert witnesses admissible but Tribunal not willing to rule how much weight should be given to them / parties wishing to rely on documents expected to make submissions on weight given to them.
  2. M and M v IAG New Zealand Ltd [2019] CEIT 0047 [PDF, 329 KB]

    Management of agreed repairs / disagreement over scope of works / determining reasonable costs / State Insurance policy / insurer required permission before expenses incurred / insurer’s control over reinstatement process / duty of good faith / implied condition that insurer obliged to have due regard to interests of insurer / insurer required to balance cost v risk / implied condition that insurer not to unreasonably withhold permission to incur expense / IAG reasonably withholding permission to replace skylights / IAG unreasonably withholding permission to seek Master Build Guarantee, to encapsulate roof, to repair T & G floor boards by gluing from below, and to incur professional inspection fees / fabric roof repair required IAG to balance weathertight risks with cost of repairs / IAG able to choose between reasonable alternative repair options for fabric roof / IAG unreasonable to refuse permission for homeowner’s proposal for repair of fabric roof as IAG’s favoured alternative rep...
  3. E and E v IAG New Zealand Ltd [2019] CEIT 0013 [PDF, 192 KB]

    Case stated / application for referral of question of law to High Court / whether insurer’s obligation to pay repair cost of house to policy standard includes obligation to pay reasonable cost required to remedy defective repair work / insured’s claim for earthquake damage to house accepted / repair work completed & insurer paid full contract price / repair work defective / insured claims insurer should pay for cost of bringing house up to policy standard by repairing damage & rectifying defective repairs / Canterbury Earthquakes Insurance Tribunal Act 2019, s 53 / question one of contractual interpretation & so a question of law / question addresses primary cause of action raised against insured & requires urgent determination in High Court / positive or negative answer would lead to speedier & more cost effective outcome for insured / case stated likely to be provide important benefits, not only for insured, but for many other homeowners / application granted.
  4. BD & ND v Southern Response Earthquakes Services Ltd [2022] CEIT 2020-0015 [PDF, 381 KB]

    Southern Response / canterbury earthquake sequence / defective repair / disagreement over repair methodology / as when new policy wording / protrusion is aesthetically non-compliant / reasonable that the protrusions removed and Southern Response pay for the repair / newly constructed garage sits hard against boundary line which affects amenity / homeowner argues misleading conduct in accordance with Southern Response v Dodds / misleading claim unsuccessful / Southern Response not liable for replacing 100 year old wiring when carrying out repairs
  5. AFT v Tower Insurance Ltd [2022] CEIT 001 [PDF, 271 KB]

    Preliminary issue / whether Limitation Act 2010 applies to claim under Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 in respect of insurance contract / Consumer Guarantees Act 1993, s 20(2), s 28, s 32 / Limitation Act 2010, s 11, s 12, s 14 / HELD / insurer cannot be required to remedy defects under s 32(a)(i) of the CGA as claim not brought within a reasonable time, but plaintiff has not lost the right to recover reasonable costs of having the failure remedied by another under s 32(a)(ii)(A) / that money claim is subject to the Limitation Act 2010 / directions for next steps issued
  6. A Trustees v IAG New Zealand Ltd [2022] 0078-2019 [PDF, 216 KB]

    Multiple parties / seeking determination on question of law s 53(1) / whether Tribunal has jurisdiction under s 45(1) of its Act to determine issues as to costs under an agreement between the parties / HELD / Tribunal was set up to determine disputes about insurance claims / overriding purpose of the Act is to provide fair, speedy and flexible services for resoling insurance disputes / s 46 provides that Tribunal may make any order a court of competent jurisdiction could make in relation to the general law of NZ / s 47 discretionary power of Tribunal to award costs / Contractual claims for as incurred legal and expert costs are prima facie enforceable contractual obligations / the Tribunal has jurisdiction to decide issues of contractual cost claims and is not limited by s 47 / Tribunal can answer question of law as a pre-hearing determination
  7. M v EQC [2022] CEIT 0074 [PDF, 1.8 MB]

    Exclusions in policy / CES / Vero / whether damage is recoverable / High Court transfer / specific performance of insurance contract / water ingress / whether exclusion clauses prevail over homeowners right to repair house / causation / Building Act 2004, ss 17 &112 / leaky building / Fair Insurance Code / Canterbury Earthquakes Insurance Tribunal Act, 2019 s 45 / expert conferrals / evidence / HELD / exclusion clauses not to be read broadly / statements made require materiality to be excluded / homeowners did not have actual knowledge of failure / objective intention of the parties when entering in to contract of insurance / alternative solution not acceptable / P&G and Margin 10% 
  8. J v IAG [2022] CEIT 0068 [PDF, 530 KB]

    Defective repairs / remediation strategy / obligation to indemnify / moisture ingress resulting from earthquake damage and repairs / whether remediation strategy cannot meet durability requirements / whether repairs met IAG’s obligations under the policy / if not, what steps are necessary to meet those obligations / as when new standard / meaning of damage / Canterbury Earthquakes Insurance Tribunal Act 2019, s 40, s 56 / Building Act 2004, s 17 / Sleight v Beckia Holdings [2020] NZHC 2851 / Technology Holdings Ltd v IAG New Zealand Ltd (2009) 1 ANZ Insurance Cases 61-786 / HELD / liquefaction ejecta compromised slab, damp proof membrane and tailings / caused by CES and constitutes damage / garage floor slope caused by CES, differential settlement of slab is damage / repairs involved replacing perimeter foundation and back slab and grout injection to fill void / whether repairs a reasonable response to damage, and whether repair properly carried out / foundation repairs improved perfor...
  9. L v EQC [2022] CEIT 0038 / 0044 [PDF, 221 KB]

    EQC / two properties / EQC’s liability under cl 3(f) of sch 3 Earthquake Commission Act 1993 / invoice fraud for emergency repairs / previous Tribunal decision held applicants were fraudulent in using EQC monies on emergency repairs / applicant did not challenge EQC’s decision to decline claim / EQC Declination letters to L / held: EQC Act provides discretion for EQC to decline a claim that is in any respect fraudulent entire claim is fraud has been / No order for compensation for loss of rent can be made against EQC / EQC to make payment of $10,240.05 within 10 working days of this decision.
  10. E v IAG [2021] 2019-0013 [PDF, 4.1 MB]

    House damaged during the CES / 22 February 2011 Christchurch earthquake / 14 February 2016 Kaikoura earthquake / IAG managed repair programme / defective repairs / Hawkins / Falcon / un-scoped unrepaired earthquake damage / council consent issues / IAG argue pre-existing water ingress issues / cladding reinstatement / QBE removed as a party / credibility of witnesses / weighting of evidence / Building Act 2004 / Consumer Guarantee’s Act 1993 / Building Code / as when new policy standard / Sleight v Beckia Holdings [2020] NZHC 2851 / held: repairs require remediation / IAG to re-clad stucco / general damages threshold not met
  12. L v EQC [2021] CEIT 2019-0036 [PDF, 298 KB]

    EQC / Tower Insurance / Canterbury Earthquakes Insurance Tribunal Act 2019, s 11 / allegations of fraud against L for emergency repairs / Tribunal previously found L to be fraudulent / EQC application to be removed as a party / claim made 3 months after earthquake date / Tower’s liability / loss of rent cover / held: L had knowledge to make claim within EQC’s time frame / EQC Act 1993 / Limitation Act 1950 / Limitation Act 2010 / EQC are removed as a party / Tower are subsequently removed as a party
  13. B v Southern Response Earthquake Services Limited [2021] CEIT 2021-0006 [PDF, 367 KB]

    Southern Response (SR) / house damaged during CES / process to rebuild foundations contained within agreement  / timeframes not adhered to / whether SR can rely upon an agreement as a defence or whether SR are estopped and must pay homeowner’s claim for enhanced foundations / evidence of correspondence between parties / whether claim was validly closed / held: SR can rely upon agreement / homeowner agreed to a process which he failed to follow / full and final agreement signed / allowances were made by SR.
  14. G v EQC [2021] CEIT 2019-0056 [PDF, 874 KB]

    EQC / Vero / extent of damage caused by CES / repair methodology / whether foundations were damaged by CES which require full replacement / timber framed, concrete perimeter beam on piles / HC transfer / EQC Act 1993 / Diagrams / impartiality of evidence / ‘when new’ and cost incurred policy / policy subject to Building Act 2004 and building code / burden of proof / physical damage /geotechnical evidence / structural evidence / foundation dislevelment historic / historic settlement / consequential damage to kitchen / full foundation replacement not supported by evidence / perimeter beam and piling did not suffer a material change to its functionality caused by CES / minor CES damage established to dwelling / repairs include: epoxy to perimeter foundation, consequential damage repairs, replacement of a pile, replacing broken roof, and interior linings / quantity surveyor to provide updated costings to Tribunal including P&G, Margin and GST / 10% margin / damages against EQC.
  15. W v EQC [2021] CEIT 2019-0007 [PDF, 820 KB]

    EQC – order sought to reopen full and final settlement agreement made in the CEIT – EQC oppose reopening of agreement – homeowners accepted cash payment offer to settle defective repairs – jurisdictional defence of CEIT raised – ss 46(8)(a) and 8 CEIT Act 2019 – homeowners argue they were given guarantees by the CEIT and EQC that they could return to Tribunal if items were worse than quoted –  homeowners claim duress with signing settlement agreement – person acting as agent of EQC – EQC seek costs against homeowners – costs denied –  reopening settlement agreement struck out – transcript of proceedings as evidence.
  17. P Trust v IAG New Zealand Ltd [2020] CEIT 0024 [PDF, 225 KB]

    Expert advisors / appointment of independent engineer as expert facilitator / applicant objected to appointment on basis engineer had worked for respondent in a number of claims / Canterbury Earthquakes Insurance Tribunal Act 2019, s25 / engineer worked for a variety of insurers & claimants / s25 requires actual rather than apparent bias / actual bias requires a real connection between expert & party such that their independence is affected / no evidence of actual bias / engineers not fiduciaries & their duty is simply to advise / no conflict of interest where engineer appears as an expert witness against former principal.
  18. ADL v Earthquake Commission [2019] NZCEIT 0006 [PDF, 127 KB]

    Proper calculation of EQC cap / Earthquake Commission Act 1993, s 18 / HELD / s 18(1)’s purpose is to limit EQC’s exposure in event of major natural disaster / method to calculate cap is two-part process / examine which sub-paragraphs in s18(1) apply / then, if necessary, calculate the entitlements to identify which is the lowest / insurance policies were for “full replacement value” and did not specify a sum, therefore s 18(1)(a) cannot apply / s 18(1)(b) only applies if the policy does not specify a replacement sum but does specify an amount for which the building is to be insured under the EQC Act / s 18(2) cannot be used to quantify the s 18(1)(b) sum / s 18(2)’s purpose is to prevent homeowners from nominating an unrealistically low figure for natural disaster cover under s 18(1)(b) / on the facts, only s 18(a)(c) applies because the other two could not
  19. L and M v Earthquake Commission [2019] CEIT 0036 [PDF, 169 KB]

      Settlement agreement / EQC paid claims for emergency repairs / subsequently investigated validity of claims and was not satisfied claims were valid / applicant and EQC agreed to repayment of claimed sums / after applicant defaulted repayments, EQC set off outstanding sum against other amounts payable to applicant / Tribunal finds applicant entered into binding settlement agreement / application for payment of emergency repair claims dismissed / applicant ordered to pay EQC outstanding balance of settlement agreement.
  20. AJE, CDE, and JPS as Trustees of the EE Family Trust v Vero Insurance New Zealand Ltd [2020] NZCEIT 9: [PDF, 348 KB]

    Negligence / breach of contract / claim insurer breached insurance policy contract or was negligent in repairing spouting and downpipe, causing landslip / whether overspill occurred / whether drainage system earthquake damaged / evidence demonstrates water spilling from spouting after initial repairs and damage caused by earthquake / insurer was obliged to repair damage to the policy standard, and is liable for defective repairs / insurer owes duty of care to repair damage in proper manner / functionality test applied, repairs not fully functional / causation / overspill a material and substantial cause of landslip / applicants able to recover losses of constructing retaining wall / interest awarded / costs and general damages not awarded
  21. D (D G Family Trust) v IAG New Zealand Ltd [2019] NZCEIT 37 [PDF, 605 KB]

    Costs decision / application for costs against first and second respondents / Canterbury Earthquakes Insurance Tribunal Act 2019, section 47 / principles of costs awards in CEIT discussed / may be awarded when steps taken without substantial merit or in bad faith / recovery permitted for costs incurred unnecessarily as a consequence / insurer and second respondent advanced arguments without substantial merit / insurer acted in bad faith / insurer complaints of unfairness in being singled out for costs / while other respondents shared an interest with insurer in some respects, no evidence they endorsed insurer’s actions / applicants awarded costs to offset expenses unnecessarily incurred by first and second respondent’s conduct of cases
  22. W v Southern Response Earthquake Services Ltd [2020] NZCEIT 20 [PDF, 248 KB]

    Process of insurance contract / insurer elected to pay cash equivalent of cost of repairs / applicant claims insurer’s experts did not properly identify earthquake damage and insurer’s repair methodology not reasonable / Ginivan v Southern Response [2018] NZHC 2403 / HELD / applicants entitled to select experts and builders, choose repair methodology, develop scope of works, and enter into building contract for price they consider to be reasonable / insurer entitled to undertake its own assessments, at its expense / if insurer’s cash equivalent of cost of repairs is less than applicant’s own scope, applicants will need to meet the additional cost unless they satisfy insurer or the Tribunal the insurer’s figure is unreasonable / insufficient evidence to determine / all complaints to be addressed together  
  23. M (C M Trust) v Tower Insurance Ltd [2019] NZCEIT 12 [PDF, 213 KB]

    Further discovery application / applicants seek disclosure of internal communications, documents and advice regarding applicants’ eligibility for further repairs / also seek disclosure of legal opinion on basis insurer waived privilege / insurer contends discovery obligations discharged, legal opinion privileged / Canterbury Earthquakes Insurance Tribunal Act 2019, section 15 / section 40 / schedule 2, clause 13 / Evidence Act 2006, s 65 / CEIT Practice Note / Tribunal may order discovery / broader search parameters may discover further relevant internal communications, documents, and advice / insurer directed to conduct further search and discover any further documents / legal opinion privileged / privilege not waived / reference to legal opinion was in internal communication / not sent to applicants / not a voluntary disclosure of a significant part of the legal opinion inconsistent with privilege