*****Media Release*****

Fund is opened to support a High Court battle with Tower Insurance over assessing homes in the red zone, that will be demolished, as repairs

The implications of Tower losing this case will be enormous on the insurance industry and could force every insurance company to pay out or rebuild thousands of homes they have neglected to do by this unjust policy.

Matt and Valerie O’Laughlin will face Tower Insurance in the High Court on 13 March 2013.

I, the Rev Mike Coleman, have opened a fund to support this couple as they challenge the legality of this unjust policy around repairs in the red zone.

On June 23 2011 when the first red zone announcements were made the insurance companies together with the Government stuck a deal allowing the Insurance companies to assess homes on severely damaged land to be assessed as repairs. Both the Government and these companies knew the homes would be demolished and it would be impossible to get a building permit to repair or rebuild these homes but the policy was adopted anyway.

This policy has obviously saved the Insurance Companies hundreds of millions of dollars. It has been a disaster to those people caught in the middle of this severe and unjust policy. It has forced people from their homes with no hope of maintaining equity and it has meant thousands of ordinary people never had their Full Replacement Policies honoured.

This High Court case in March will assess the legality around this policy. Actually to date no decisions on any zoning or earthquake issues affecting the most vulnerable have been taken to the High Court; no one can afford it not even this couple. This is why the fund is so vital.

I am asking people throughout the country to MAKE A DONATION TO THE FUND TO BATTLE THE INSURANCE COMPANIES.

Fund is called: Fight Insurances REPAIR/REBUILD in the High Court
Kiwibank 389014 0404322 00

I will be asking both the Mayor of Christchurch, Bob Parker and our Prime Minister, John Key, to look at donations from their respective earthquake funds which still hold many millions of dollars. This money was designed to go to the most vulnerable. The best possible way to help many many people is to keep Insurance Companies honest and force them to honour fully the Full Replacement contracts they hold with quake victims here in Canterbury.

Thanks for your support of this brave couple, Matt and Valerie.

Kind regards
Mike Coleman

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