Last night on the news we told you that the Pickwoad family and the Ministry of Natural Resources were trying to reach a pre-trial settlement on a disputed piece of land in Belama Phase 1.
Well, tonight we can there will be no settlement and the matter went to trial today before Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin. Five witnesses testified: Bernadette and Bernard Pickwoad, building contractor Mauricio Ortiz and Maud Williams and Marvin Castillo Jr.
But the Pickwoads' attorney, Audrey Matura-Shepherd, told the media today that a settlement can still be reached:
Audrey Matura Shepherd, Attorney for Pickwoad family
"From now until November 27, there will be our own form of mediation. The court always encourages that and we as attorneys, we know that we need to be amenable by that because while you go to the court, there are certain things that we can solve and I must say that the Ministry 
of Natural Resources which is in between the two parties is also amenable and the other parties, so we can't say how it will go. But it's just a safeguard because it would be difficult that our mediation doesn't work - our own voluntary mediation doesn't work that my client has to fly back into the country to deal with this. So it's just being practical, its doing some time management and still hoping for the best. We just had the witnesses testify and we have some things on the record and that's always good because then all sides get to see how their evidence is tested."
The case resumes on November 27 with Commissioner of Lands and Surveys Wilbert Vallejos scheduled to testify. He was not available today due to illness.
As we noted last night the case commenced with former Natural Resources CEO Beverly Castillo as a respondent, but the case against her was withdrawn because it was determined that she never should have been joined and Matura-Shepherd had to issue an Apology to Castillo.
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