Northern Advocate
  • Northern Advocate home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings

Locations

  • Far North
  • Kaitaia
  • Kaikohe
  • Bay of Islands
  • Whangārei
  • Kaipara
  • Mangawhai
  • Dargaville

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whangārei
  • Dargaville

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Northern Advocate

Lion Man must front up with $90k in legal fees

By Mike Dinsdale
Northern Advocate·
8 Nov, 2013 05:00 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

PAYMENT PROBLEM: Whangarei lawyer Wayne Peters at Zion Wildlife Gardens in 2008, when acting for The Lion Man, Craig Busch Photo / FILE

PAYMENT PROBLEM: Whangarei lawyer Wayne Peters at Zion Wildlife Gardens in 2008, when acting for The Lion Man, Craig Busch Photo / FILE

Lion Man Craig Busch has been ordered to pay Whangarei lawyer Wayne Peters more than $90,000 for legal work carried out in 2008.

In a judgment released by Judge John McDonald after a hearing in August, Mr Busch - who shot to international fame as star of the TV programme The Lion Man - was ordered to pay Mr Peters $86,351.47 for the legal work carried out when Mr Busch was in a dispute with his mother Patricia Busch. Mr Busch was also ordered to pay interest on that amount at 5 per cent from May 20, 2009; and costs and disbursements of $3617.28.

Mr Peters carried out the legal work after Mrs Busch sacked her son from the lion park in Kamo. The case has dragged on for so long because Mr Peters was unable to serve the legal papers on Mr Busch, who had been out of the country for much of the time, and Mr Busch did not defend the claim before the court.

Mr Busch engaged Wayne Peters and Associates for a variety of legal services for 7 months in August 2008.

Mr Busch was billed $86,351.47 and when he failed to pay, Mr Peters filed an application for summary judgment in October 2009.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Summary judgment is issued where there is no real contest on any debt that is claimed.

Since attempts to serve legal documents on Mr Busch failed, Mr Peters sought an order in May 2010 that the Lion Man's lawyers be served, and the order was granted.

No statement of defence was filed by Mr Busch, and Mr Peters applied for an order for summary judgment on his claim.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Judge McDonald granted the claim, finding that the legal costs sought were properly charged.

In his decision, Judge McDonald said Mr Peters' claim is "for properly tendered legal services. Such services and the cost of them having been reviewed by the Law Society, they were found to be proper."

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Northern Advocate

Northern Advocate

Two charged with neglect 10 years after 4yo's death in Kaikohe

Northern Advocate

Major water leak forces school closure for urgent repairs

Northern Advocate

Saving lives: Mobile AED startup named best emerging business


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Northern Advocate

Two charged with neglect 10 years after 4yo's death in Kaikohe
Northern Advocate

Two charged with neglect 10 years after 4yo's death in Kaikohe

Police have continued their investigation since Alestra Kepa-Hati's death in 2015.

17 Jul 02:17 AM
Major water leak forces school closure for urgent repairs
Northern Advocate

Major water leak forces school closure for urgent repairs

17 Jul 01:26 AM
Saving lives: Mobile AED startup named best emerging business
Northern Advocate

Saving lives: Mobile AED startup named best emerging business

16 Jul 11:00 PM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • The Northern Advocate e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Northern Advocate
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The Northern Advocate
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP