Wendy is an experienced insurance litigator with a sustained focus on workers’ compensation (including psychiatric injury and recovery claims), public and product liability claims and fatal accidents. Additionally, Wendy services all classes of general insurance claims including commercial loss, professional indemnity and property damage.
Wendy advises insurers, self-insureds and employers at every stage of a claim, ranging from routine to complex and often involving multiple parties in a variety of workplaces and other settings.
In the course of her practice Wendy drafts complex defences and pleadings, analyses quantum and is proficient in apportioning liability between multiple defendants. Additionally, Wendy advises clients on policy and contractual indemnity, double insurance and whole person impairment disputes. She regularly appears in the District Court of Western Australia and WorkCover. Wendy has also been involved in proceedings in the Court of Appeal (Supreme Court), Federal Court and Magistrate’s Court.
Expertise
Wendy’s expertise includes:
- Workers’ compensation claims (including psychiatric injury), ranging from routine to complex common law multi-party actions
- Recovery claims
- Fatal accidents
- Public and product liability
- Property damage
- Professional indemnity claims
- Dog Act claims
- Policy indemnity/coverage
- Double insurance
- Contractual indemnity
Recent Projects
- Successfully defending a negligence action against a tyre-fitting contractor by a self-represented Plaintiff, including an order than the Plaintiff pay the employer’s trial costs on an indemnity basis.
- Acting for a lighting production company in respect of an independent contractor whose leg was severed in a jet-skiing accident at a Christmas party.
- Acting for an air conditioning contractor in a complex multi-party claim for commercial losses resulting from a fire at a hotel.
- Acting for a civil drainage company against an injured claimant who rode his unregistered motorcycle without headlights at night time into a road barrier surrounding an excavation pit.
- Defending a Dog Act claim by a postal worker injured as a result of being knocked off his scooter.
- Acting for a commercial transport company in a Fatal Accidents Act claim in respect of a worker killed while offloading concrete dust contained in a specialised tank which toppled.
Professional Memberships / Accreditation & Activities
- “Lawyer of the Year”, Product Liability Litigation, The Best Lawyers in Australia 2023 edition
- Recognised Lawyer, Insurance Law and Product Liability Litigation, The Best Lawyers in Australia
- Member, The Australian Insurance Lawyers Association
- Member, Law Society of Western Australia
- Member, The Self-Insurers Association (WA)
Sector
- Insurance ,