18 Nov 2020
BRUCE v IAG NEW ZEALAND LTD [2020] NZHC 3051
- Citation
- [2020] NZHC 3051
- Court
- High Court
The Court held the plaintiffs were the successful party on the first stage and entitled to costs; IAG's without-prejudice offers did not entitle it to costs protection because the negotiated settlement exceeded prior offers and there was no final judgment measure against which to beat those offers; although aspects of the plaintiffs' case (claim to rebuild whole house or foundations) lacked merit, on balance those matters and the timing and content of offers did not justify reduction of costs; expert fees claimed were reasonable and necessary. The Court therefore awarded 2B costs in favor of…