BML Attorney Says Enough is Enough

Michel Chebat

Chebat says that the reason for the crowfooting is that the judgment remains unpaid despite them bending over backwards to reach some sort of arrangement with Mayor Darrell Bradley.

Michel Chebat, Attorney for BML

“In January when the writ was filed I actually sent a copy of the writ to the Mayor and I said to the Mayor this is serious…we want an opportunity for you all to settle this. We don’t want to go to crow-footing. BML just wants to be paid. We don’t want to go to that. We don’t want to cause the City Council any embarrassment. And that is unusual. If you talk to any attorney they will tell you that they never do that because you are putting the creditor on notice and the creditor has the opportunity to whisk away the assets if they so wish. And so we are dealing in good faith. I sent a copy to the Mayor under cover letter saying Mayor please let us try to resolve this matter. That resulted in some back and forth between the Mayor and myself, the City Administrator and so forth. I actually had drafted an agreement for us to sign to settle this matter. The Mayor had called me I think it was Wednesday last week and he wanted a couple changes and so I told him I was going to send the agreement on soft copy so you can make the changes that you want and you send it back to me so I can take it to my client. It never happened. I called him several times…he didn’t take any of my calls. I called the City Council several times. He was always busy or out. The last effort I made was on Sunday when I spoke to the City Administrator and I said listen, I have the Marshalls going in on Monday. I don’t want to cause any embarrassment, I realize we are in high political season right now…please tell the Mayor to get in touch with me so that we can avoid the Marshalls going in on Monday. She said yes, she’s going to speak to him. They never got back to me. We waited on Monday, we waited on Tuesday, we waited on Wednesday, and still nothing happened and so we are just pushed to the limit. We tried to accommodate as best as we could have. We tried to avoid any embarrassment to the Mayor and the Council as best as we could, but it’s a long outstanding judgment and it needs to be paid now.”

Chebat says that despite Marshalls being on site at the Belize City Council for two days marking goods, there has still been no communication from the Mayor.