Court overturns bankruptcy of Christchurch tradie whose $5k debt ballooned to nearly $800k

A dyslexic tradie left suicidal and financially broken after court mix-ups led to a bankruptcy declaration that unleashed a tsunami of debt has scored a major victory in the Court of Appeal (CoA).

Christchurch concreter Peter Gill successfully challenged the 2021 bankruptcy adjudication that upended his life and highlighted the difficulties people with learning disabilities face when trying to navigate the court system.

As reported in LawNews in June, the 2021 bankruptcy declaration was the catalyst for Gill’s debts to skyrocket from $5,000 to almost $800,000.

But the CoA last week overturned the bankruptcy decision, which was made after Gill missed a court appearance because of a misunderstanding about hearing dates that he maintains were not properly communicated to him.