Caribbean Court of Justice 49d ago

These two appeals and cross appeals will be heard together. BZCV2025/004 Belize Tourism Board v Misty Michael This is an appeal from Belize. The Belize Tourism Board (‘BTB’) appealed the decision of the Belize Court of Appeal upholding the validity of Ms Michael’s three-year employment contract and awarding damages for wrongful termination. BTB argued that the contract was ultra vires because there was no proper Board approval, the Chairman and Vice-Chairman lacked authority to execute it, and the Minister’s oral approval did not satisfy the requirements of the BTB Act. The courts below rejected those arguments, holding that the contract was valid and enforceable, that verbal ministerial approval sufficed, and that Clause 7.1.1 of the employment contract was not an unenforceable penalty. Ms Michael cross-appealed aspects of the Court of Appeal’s reasoning concerning procedural irregularity and authority. BZCV2025/005 Belize Tourism Board v Karen Bevans This is an appeal from Belize. The BTB appealed the Court of Appeal’s ruling affirming the validity of Ms Bevans’ employment contract and rejecting BTB’s ultra vires arguments. BTB contended that the Chairman and Vice-Chairman lacked authority to execute the contract, that ministerial approval required formal written communication or recording, and that non-compliance with section 14(1) of the BTB Act rendered the contract invalid. The Court of Appeal held instead that any defects were merely procedural irregularities and that the contract remained enforceable. Ms Bevans cross-appealed, arguing that the Court of Appeal wrongly denied actual authority and failed to apply public law estoppel principles, which would preclude BTB from denying the contract’s validity after benefiting from its performance.