Chief justice vows ‘reasonable timeline’ for senior citizen’s 14-y-o lawsuit to end
Published:Friday | November 22, 2024 | 12:08 AMBarbara Gayle/Gleaner Writer
Chief Justice Bryan Sykes has responded to senior citizen Doril Barclay, who, last month, sought his intervention in a lawsuit she filed 14 years ago in the Supreme Court.
Sykes, in a November 7 letter to Barclay, sought to assure her that every effort would be made to ensure that the matter progresses to a conclusion within a reasonable timeline.
Barclay, 74, has said that due to the stress and sleepless nights she has been having because of how long it has been taking for the case to be tried, she had no alternative but to directly seek the assistance of the chief justice last month.
She wrote to the chief justice complaining about the inordinate delay in the disposal of her case, and her story was reported in The Gleaner on October 24.
“ Careful note has been taken of the concerns you have raised regarding the length of time it has taken for your matter to be concluded,” Sykes wrote in his response to Barclay.
“ The challenge this has caused you is regretted.”
Barclay said she was very pleased when she received the registered letter at the post office.
“A pre-trial review has been fixed for November 25, 2024. The registrar has assigned this matter to a judge that deals with the older cases, those that have been in the court for some time,” the chief justice wrote.
“ Every effort will be made to ensure that your matter progresses to a conclusion within a reasonable timeline.”
RELIEF
Barclay told The Gleaner yesterday that when she read the letter she cried because she felt as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.
‘No one can ever imagine the heartaches, stress, and humiliation I go through daily because of the case I filed in court,” the retired postmistress explained.
Barclay is seeking to be able to use the eight-foot right of way from the parochial road to her house, which she had been using since she was a child.
She said a motor vehicle could drive straight to her gate, but 14 years ago, the defendants in the case extended a dwelling into the road to her house, and so she immediately filed a suit seeking to have them restore the right of way.
Barclay said she is a law-abiding citizen and had been paying taxes every year for her property so she should be able to enjoy peace and comfort on the property.
“If I am sick, I cannot call a taxi or a relative to pick me up and take me to the doctor because they cannot drive to my gate, and at my age, I really should not be encountering such a problem,” she stressed.
Barclay was quick to point out that legal fees had depleted all her savings and that she cannot pay an attorney to represent her so she will just have to represent herself.
She said to enter her premises she had to walk sideways, and while doing so, abuses are hurled at her. She is jeered and mocked, and she is even chased by dogs.
“Now that the chief justice has intervened, I am positive that the case will come to a speedy end because as a senior citizen, I should be living in peace and comfort,” Barclay added.