In a landmark ruling that concludes a protracted legal battle, Belize’s High Court has delivered a scathing judgment against Senior Counsel Hubert Elrington for his mishandling of the James Lightburn estate. Justice Javed Mansoor found the veteran attorney guilty of severe professional misconduct for failing to distribute hundreds of thousands of dollars to rightful beneficiaries.
The case centered on the estate of the late James Lightburn, particularly the $460,000 generated from the 2017 sale of a 562-acre property. Court documents revealed that Elrington, serving as estate executor, never established the mandated trust account, provided no accounting of the funds, and maintained no communication with the Lightburn family regarding the estate’s disposition.
Justice Mansoor characterized Elrington’s conduct as a ‘serious lapse’ of professional duty, particularly concerning for a legal practitioner of his standing. The court accepted the claimant’s evidence in its entirety after Elrington failed to mount a substantive defense or participate meaningfully in proceedings.
The judgment mandates Elrington to distribute all estate funds within 30 days, pay 5% annual interest dating back to 2017, submit comprehensive financial accounts for each year of his administration, and cover $10,000 in court costs.
In a significant development, the ruling will be formally referred to both the General Legal Council and the Bar Association of Belize, potentially triggering disciplinary proceedings. This case marks the second recent disciplinary issue for Elrington, who received a six-month suspension from practice in November 2025 for similar misconduct in an unrelated matter involving client funds.
For the Lightburn family, particularly daughter Jasmin who was denied her inheritance, the verdict represents a hard-won victory after years of financial uncertainty and procedural delays.