Earthquake, Insurance Cases, Insurance Issues

IAG loses Ridgecrest case in Supreme Court

The Supreme Court has on 27 August 2014 overturned the decisions of the High Court and Court of Appeal in Ridgecrest Ltd v IAG New Zealand Ltd [2014] NZSC 117 and allowed Ridgecrest to recover for multiple events under its insurance policies with IAG. This will enable Ridgecrest to recover in to total more than the sum insured of $1,948,000. Of interest is that the Supreme Court cited with approval US decisions on the issue. The decision is positive for insureds with claims against insurance companies where the insured suffered damage in different earthquakes and has a sum insured policy.

August 26, 2014/by Grant Shand

Testimonials

This is what Grant and his team do, they do it every day, and they know how to beat these people at this ‘game’…

We live in Blenheim, and the house (purchased in December 2009) was a rental for us , which our son lived in. We knew our assessments were wrong, and our house should be a rebuild, not a repair, but we didn’t know who to turn to, or how we were going to argue our case, and prove EQC and SR wrong. This is what Grant and his team do, they do it every day, and they know how to beat these people at this ‘game’. It still takes a long time, and you have to be prepared to go through the process, but if you do, you will get what

John and Heather McMurdo

He filled us with a sense of confidence that immediately made us feel at ease…

It’s no exaggeration to say that the team at Grant Shand changed our lives. When we first contacted Andrew Ferguson we had pretty much reached rock bottom. We’d been fighting the EQC and our insurance company for more than four years, and getting nowhere. Our young family were living in a house that was dark, cold, and verging on unhealthy, and we were all but ready to give in and accept the meagre offer on the table. Then Andrew stepped in. And took control! He filled us with a sense of confidence that immediately made us feel at ease. He was at once both empathetic and forthright, taking a

Phoebe & Tim Cronin Christchurch

His expertise and no-nonsense approach allowed us to start living again…

“Following the Canterbury earthquakes, we moved out for an 8 week EQC repair, which after 12 months had still not started. We finally went overcap only to find ourselves back to square one (worse in fact) with our insurance company. Dealing with the insurance company and assessors became a fulltime job. The stress of these dealings, and not being able to make progress so long after (while trying to hold down the ‘day job’ and look after a young family), was worse than the actual earthquakes themselves. We engaged Grant Shand, and honestly it was the best decision we ever made during the entire process, no question. His expertise and

Roly & Karen Steedman Christchurch

Success!

We recently completed our earthquake settlement with our insurers, almost seven years after the event! This has obviously been a stressful and overly long process, but at the end of it we are pleased with what has been achieved for us. Credit for that goes to the team at Grant Shand who have been in our corner whenever necessary. I would personally like to thank Grant and Paul who have supported me and been generous with their time and availability.

Sarah Thomson Client Christchurch

We have no doubt that we chose the right team to fight for us!

Prior to contacting Grant Shand, we had tried all avenues in attempting to progress our earthquake claim. There was a lot at stake for us. Grant knew what steps to take and acted with great alacrity and efficacy. He was very clear in all communications and always had time for us, and our many questions. His skill and determination got us a successful outcome. We have no doubt that we chose the right team to fight for us.

Geoff Knight and Kristi Calder Clients Christchurch

The worry and stress was taken out of our hands…

For almost 7 years we battled EQC, Fletchers and Tower Insurance. We seemed to be getting nowhere at all. Then close friends of ours told us that they had engaged Grant and his team and had excellent results. So we decided that we needed to also talk to Grant and the team. When we sent through our documentation, we were advised the best course of action, and from then on the worry and stress was taken out of our hands. Grant and the team have been great, they were always prompt and clear with their communication. Thanks to the Team working hard and negotiating with EQC and Tower, we managed

Ray & Kim Oakes Christchurch