Lawyer to Belize CitCo: Give Jun’s Shop Back or See Us in Court

Attorneys for the owner of Jun’s Meat Shop are demanding the Belize City Council immediately restore their client’s possession of his market booth. Orson Elrington of Elrington & Company argues that the council had no legal authority to lock him out and points to a signed agreement; they say the council itself had already accepted just weeks earlier.

Writing on behalf of Aaron Castillo and his brother Miguel Castillo, Elrington told Mayor Bernard Wagner and City Administrator Dr Candice Pitts that the ejectment carried out at Booth #54A on West Collet Canal was unlawful since it happened without a court order or any other legal basis.

Central to the dispute is a consent judgement dated July 8th, 2026, in a separate municipal court case between the council and Jun’s Shop. Under that judgement, Castillo agreed to pay $6,570 plus court costs for the 2026/2027 trade year on Booth #54A, with a payment schedule stretching from July through October. According to the letter, Castillo paid $1,500 on July 8th and remained current on that schedule, with his next installment of $1,690 not due until August 30th, well after both the stop order and the ejectment took place.

The letter argues that the timeline undercuts the council’s justification for the lockout entirely.

“Our client was, and remains, current on that agreed schedule. 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.”

Elrington also argued that Castillo’s twenty years of continuous operation at the location, combined with the council’s own decision to enter into the consent judgement weeks before issuing the stop order, created a legitimate expectation that his trade licence and occupancy would be renewed as it had been in every prior year.

According to the letter, proper legal process would have required the council to apply to a court for an order of possession, giving Castillo the opportunity to be heard, rather than acting unilaterally. The letter notes the council sent Castillo a notice on August 19th demanding he immediately remove his belongings from the booth, one day before the ejectment took place and before he had any real opportunity to respond.

The attorneys are demanding the council restore Castillo to full possession of Booth #54A within 24 hours of the letter, return any goods or property removed from the booth in the condition they were taken, and confirm in writing by 4:00pm on Monday, August 24th, that possession has been restored.

The letter warns that if the council fails to comply, Castillo’s legal team will proceed immediately with court action seeking urgent injunctive relief, along with damages for trespass and unlawful eviction, and will hold the council responsible for legal costs and any losses tied to the shop’s closure, including lost business, stock, and income.