Cane View/Mocha residents whose homes were demolished by the government to make way for a road have told their lawyers to start legal proceedings after government failed to signal interest in mediation.
Lawyers for the affected residents had set February 15 as the deadline for the government to reply to their request for mediation. That deadline expired without any response from the government, a release yesterday from the lawyers said, “We have strengthened capacity for aggressive representation and have started deploying our litigation and conflict resolution strategies” said New York-based Attorney at Law Dr. Vivian Williams who along with Attorney Lyndon Amsterdam, wrote the government on February 8,2023.
After being briefed on the unresponsiveness of the government, the residents who have lost their homes and personal property, voiced disappointment at government’s unwillingness to engage them on the matter.
A release from the lawyers said that the legal team was boosted over the weekend with the addition of Attorney at Law Dexter Todd.
The number of residents who have retained the lawyers has now grown to nine, the release added.
In a joint interview last week, Williams and Amsterdam emphasised the value of conflict resolution to society and articulated the hope that the government would seize the opportunity at mediation.
The lawyers contend that the residents have very strong claims against the government. However, they wanted to give the government an opportunity to find common ground with the aggrieved residents rather than having to resort to court.
The government has insisted that it made a fair offer to the squatters over a number of months but they had been recalcitrant and stood in the way of major road project despite others having taken up the option.
