A long-running Belize City meat vendor is on the brink of a high-stakes legal showdown with the Belize City Council, after municipal authorities locked him out of his West Collet Canal market stall last week in what his legal team calls an unlawful, unilateral seizure of property with no basis in law.
Attorneys at Elrington & Company, representing brothers Aaron and Miguel Castillo, owners of Jun’s Meat Shop, have issued an ultimatum to the city’s top leadership: restore full access to Booth 54A within 24 hours, return all seized property in its original condition, and provide written confirmation of the restoration by 4 p.m. on August 24, or face immediate court action.
The core of the dispute traces back to a July 8, 2026 consent judgment reached in municipal court, which resolved an earlier conflict between the council and the Castillos over stall rental fees for the 2026/2027 trade year. Under the court-endorsed agreement, Jun’s Meat Shop agreed to pay a total of $6,570 plus court costs in a phased payment plan running from July through October. The Castillos fulfilled their first obligation immediately, paying $1,500 on the day the judgment was signed, and the next $1,690 installment was not scheduled to be due until August 30 — more than a week after the council carried out the ejectment.
Lead counsel Orson Elrington argues that this timeline completely invalidates any justification the council might claim for locking out his clients. “Our client was, and remains, current on that agreed schedule,” Elrington wrote in the formal letter addressed to Mayor Bernard Wagner and City Administrator Dr. Candice Pitts. “The next instalment was not due until 30th August 2026, well after both the stop order and the ejectment. There was accordingly no default by our client capable of justifying either measure.”
Beyond the missed payment claim, Elrington emphasized that the Castillos have operated their meat business continuously from the same booth for 20 years, with the council renewing their trade license and occupancy every single year. The city’s own decision to sign off on the July 2026 consent judgment just weeks before issuing the lockout order, Elrington argued, created a clear legitimate expectation that the annual renewal would proceed as it always had.
What makes the ejectment unlawful, the letter stresses, is the council’s choice to bypass all formal legal process. Under standard regulations, the city would need to file a formal application for a possession order with the court, which would give the Castillos the right to attend a hearing and defend their position. Instead, the council gave just one day’s notice: a demand to remove all property issued August 19, with the ejectment carried out the very next day, leaving the business owners no meaningful time to respond or challenge the action.
If the Belize City Council refuses to meet the demands laid out in the letter, Elrington’s team says it will immediately file for urgent injunctive relief to force the booth’s return. The legal action will also seek damages for trespass and unlawful eviction, and hold the council fully liable for all financial losses tied to the forced closure of the shop, including lost revenue, spoiled stock, and ongoing business disruption, in addition to covering all associated legal costs.