PR boss win in property legal feud

Sarah Sparks aka Sarah Olliver. Photo / Supplied

Public relations boss Sarah Sparks' company has claimed her ex-husband's firm was trying to put "undue pressure and financial hardship" on her.

The Supreme Court earlier this year refused to hear Sparks' appeal against a decision involving St Heliers property she owned with her former husband Greg Olliver.

Sparks runs markomPR and Olliver is a former high-profile developer involved in a range of projects including Ngunguru Spit plans and the development of what is now Todd Property's Stonefields, Mt Wellington.

Companies linked to the pair have been back in the High Court at Auckland this month after a firm he directs, CIT Holdings, demanded $14,486 in court costs from her firm, Glover No.2.

Sparks' company applied to set aside the demand, although it did not dispute it owed CIT that amount.

However, it said it was owed $3.312 million by Olliver's company, had a counter-claim that set off the debt and that the demand procedure was being used in a "unfair and oppressive manner in order to bring undue pressure of financial hardship on Ms Sparks."

Associate Judge John Matthews, in considering the Glover No.2's application, said there was an arguable counterclaim for at least 100 times the debt associated with the demand.

Because of this, among other reasons, he set aside the statutory demand notice.

Read the latest decision here: