The High Court has heard the Earthquake Commission's own experts declared a house needed new foundations, and then later sought a different opinion from another set of experts, to avoid paying what it should.
In the first court action taken against EQC, Cameron and Suzy Kelly are challenging it over its decision to only carry out limited repairs on their quake-damaged home.
Cameron and Suzy Kelly. Photo: RNZ / Conan Young
They say say it should be paying to have the house rebuilt at a cost of $525,000.
In closing today, the Kelly's lawyer, Grant Shand, said only once court action was initiated did the EQC select a group of experts to put up a different theory that the house had dropped 88 mms without causing any damage to the foundations.
Mr Shand, said the structural engineer that gave expert evidence for the Kelly's said in the hundreds of quake damaged homes he'd examined, he has never seen a house fall this far without damage being caused to the foundations.