In New Zealand, a woman took her ex-boyfriend to court after he failed to give her a ride to the airport, resulting in her missing a flight and incurring the expense of another ticket.
According to documents released by the New Zealand Dispute Tribunal, the woman had asked her partner of six and a half years to drop her at the airport before a music concert. He had agreed to watch over her house and dog during her trip.
However, he backed out at the last minute, forcing the woman to arrange a shuttle to the airport and home care for her dog. Consequently, she missed her flight. She had lodged a complaint against her ex-boyfriend with the Tribunal.
The woman's boyfriend was supposed to pick her up between 10:00 to 10:15 a.m., but he never showed up and didn't answer his phone, causing her to miss the flight. Though she took another flight, upon returning from her vacation, she decided to take her boyfriend to the Dispute Tribunal, which was faster, cheaper, and less formal than a court.
In the tribunal, the woman claimed that her boyfriend broke a verbal contract. The tribunal dismissed her claims, ruling that her boyfriend was not legally obligated to fulfill his promise. Tribunal referee Krisia Covey ruled, "Partners, friends, and colleagues have social arrangements, but it is unlikely that they would be legally compelled to act."
