Jespersen v Secretary of the Treasury

2020-07-06T04:44:03+00:00

Counsel for the applicants in seeking orders for sale of a forestry right (with or without the underlying land) and division of the proceeds under the Property Law Act 2007. The case was heard in the Whangarei High Court. It was complicated by one of the shares in the forestry syndicate being owned by a person who had become bankrupt, and the Official Assignee disclaiming the share. The share was accordingly bona vacantia but was also the subject of various applications for orders vesting the property, claims and securities including caveats. As a result, 11 sets of respondents were involved and it was necessary to remove caveats and have detailed orders around the marketing and sale process as well as provide for rectification of unequal contributions which had been made over time. The Court granted the sale order and made payments directing the reimbursement of partners who had paid costs associated with the property. The proceeds relating to the disputed share were directed to be held in trust pending resolution of the claims regarding that interest.

Sanitarium v A Little Bit of Britain

2020-07-06T02:32:49+00:00

Counsel for the defendants in a high-profile case brought in the Christchurch High Court by Sanitarium against a specialty British goods retailer who imported and sold British Weetabix. The case involved novel trade mark issues including the operation of the Customs notice rules, and expert evidence on marketing issues. The case was reported at (2018) 15 TCLR 173.

Craig v Social Media Consultants Limited

2020-07-06T02:35:46+00:00

Counsel for the appellant (briefed for the appeal), I successfully argued that the High Court should overturn the District Court’s decision to strike out the plaintiff’s claim for copyright infringement. The claim related to the publication on the Whale Oil blog of a poem written by Colin Craig, and also involved issues of breach of privacy and breach of confidence.

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