High Court Slams Elrington, Orders Payout in Lightburn Estate  

A High Court ruling has finally delivered closure for the family of the late James Lightburn, ending a years‑long battle over his estate. Justice Javed Mansoor found that Senior Counsel Hubert Elrington, the executor trusted to manage the estate, failed to account for or distribute hundreds of thousands of dollars owed to the beneficiaries. At the heart of the case is Lightburn’s daughter Jasmin, who never received her share of the four-hundred-and-sixty-thousand US dollars earned from the 2017 sale of a five-hundred-and-sixty-two‑acre property. The judge said Elrington never opened the trust account required under the will, never explained where the money went, and kept the family in the dark. To make matters worse, Elrington never filed a defense and barely took part in the proceedings. The court accepted the claimant’s evidence in full, with Justice Mansoor calling Elrington’s conduct a “serious lapse,” especially for an attorney who should know the law. The court has ordered Elrington to distribute all estate funds within thirty days, pay five percent annual interest back to 2017, file full, accurate accounts for each year he handled the estate, and pay ten thousand dollars in costs.  The ruling will also be sent to the General Legal Council and the Bar Association of Belize, raising the possibility of disciplinary action. This isn’t the first time Elrington has faced scrutiny. In November 2025, the General Legal Council suspended him for six months after finding that he accepted six thousand dollars from Orpha Martinez to file a claim against Scotia Bank Belize but never did the work, failed to communicate with her, and broke an undertaking to repay the funds. For the Lightburn family, this judgment is a long‑awaited win after years of frustration and uncertainty.