Academics granted right to challenge Mental Health Act for free
Court cases are naturally expensive, with lawyer’s fees and court administration mounting quickly into the tens of thousands.
But in a first for New Zealand a court has agreed to waive its fee for a case brought by two academics against the Attorney General, granting them a protective costs order (PCO).
Sarah Gordon and Giles Newton-Howes from the University of Otago don’t want to wait for the Government to repeal and replace the Mental Health Act - they want clarification as soon as possible on a legal provision that forces someone deemed as having a mental disorder to have compulsory treatment.
“Imagine if you had diabetes and you weren’t taking your medicine, so the police are called and you’re hauled off to hospital for a week and forced to take it,” Newton-Holmes told Open Justice.
Link to article: First of its kind: Academics granted right to challenge Mental Health Act for free - NZ Herald
