Damage from earthquakes separate events

The Supreme Court has refused to hear an appeal from the Court of Appeal decision that the February 2011 and June 2011 earthquakes were separate events and not a series of events.

The insured had his house damaged in both the February and June earthquakes and the argument was whether the single policy limit of $2.5 million applied to each earthquake or to both earthquakes together as a series of events.

The Court of Appeal had held that earthquakes four months apart were not a series of events, but were separate events and it did not matter that both of them were caused by the September 2010 earthquake.

The Supreme Court held that there were no matters of general public importance to give rise to a right of appeal to the Supreme Court.

Leading law firms committed to helping clients cost-effectively will have a range of fixed-price Initial Consultations to suit most people’s needs in quickly learning what their options are.  At Rainey Collins we have an experienced team who can answer your questions and put you on the right track.