A demolition contractor, Nicon, has sued Tower Insurance/Stream Group for allegedly unpaid fees on post earthquake demolition work and quote provision. Nicon claims $350 plus GST for each of the 1083 quotes it gave to Tower/Stream ($379,050). It also claimed that Tower was obliged to give it the work for any actual demolition carried out on the quoted jobs. In Nicon Ltd v Tower Insurance Ltd & anor [2018] NZHC 2005 the High Court (Gendall J) decided four preliminary questions about the alleged agreement with Tower/Stream. The Court decided that a written heads of agreement between Nicon and Stream was binding and it required Tower/Stream to offer Nicon first the demolition work on jobs it quoted on. Tower/Stream did not do so. The Court decided that the evidence did not prove the existence of a $350 quote fee. The claim likely continues now as one for loss of profit by Nicon on demolition jobs that Nicon was not given in breach of the agreement.
In Self Realisation Meditation and Healing Centre Charitable Trust (New Zealand) v IAG New Zealand Ltd [2018] NZHC 2077 the High Court (Osborne AJ) struck as parties two builders joined by IAG to claims by a property owner about earthquake damage to two Christchurch houses. Each builder had minimal allegedly defective work and the property owner sued only IAG based on the policy without alleging defective remedial work.
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