Brad’s Case History

Notable Cases and Appearances

  • Wakefield v Network Waitaki Limited (Ongoing, High Court Christchurch, CIV-2023-476-...) – Currently acting as Counsel in this major civil dispute following the 2020 Lake Ohau Village fire (New Zealand’s largest urban fire); representing plaintiffs in infrastructure liability, negligence, and substantial insurance recovery/indemnity claims .

  • Work & Anor v IAG New Zealand Ltd (2020–2025) – Represented the insurer in a landmark indemnity, fraud, and policy interpretation dispute; successfully defended the declinature through the High Court ([2023] NZHC 3428), Court of Appeal, and Supreme Court ([2025] NZSC 171 / related decisions), with key rulings on deliberate acts, recklessness, dishonesty allegations, and coverage obligations.

  • Grace & Ors v Orion New Zealand Ltd & Ors (2017–2023) – Acted in multi-party proceedings (including subrogated insurer claims) arising from the Port Hills fire and infrastructure damage; appeared in the High Court ([2020] NZHC 1998 / [2021] NZHC 705) and Court of Appeal ([2023] NZCA 89), securing favourable outcomes on liability, causation, quantum, and related recovery issues.

  • Christchurch Earthquake Sequence Claims — Handled over 100 defended earthquake-related claims (for NZ and international insurers) in the High Court and CEIT, involving policy declinatures, indemnity disputes, defective or inadequate repairs to earthquake-damaged properties, repair quality failures, and associated fraud/dishonesty allegations.

  • Weather-Related Disaster Claims — Advised and litigated on numerous rural fires, flooding, landslides, and sea level/coastal erosion matters (analogous to severe events in regions such as Wairoa/Hawke's Bay and Bay of Plenty), including recovery, coverage, and defective repair issues.

  • Regular defence of arson, fraudulent, dishonest, or reckless insurance claims, including multi-million-dollar fire/earthquake/weather recovery matters; expertise in investigating and litigating policyholder misconduct in natural disaster contexts.

  • Defended medical professionals in coronial inquests, negligence suits, disciplinary tribunals, and criminal proceedings (Australia and New Zealand).

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