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The blogmaster continues the exchange with Sarah Cyrus regarding accusations leveled at Ministers George Payne and Dale Marshall.ย  You will recall the first exchange represented in the blog post –ย Family Feud Over Land Matter Goneย Public.

In an effort to get a better understanding the blogmaster asked a few more questions:

1. With such a large settle for the land, 2.4 million dollars- why did she die in poverty? Where is the money?

The land sale took a very long time because the original deeds were lost.ย  For ten years, Ms. Atwell survived on her pension and financial assistance from her great-nephew Teon and another cousin.ย  It never occurred to the other beneficiary to check and ascertain that bills were being paid.ย  I was told that Ermine advised other family members as to the bank where funds are being held.ย  The funds belong to Ermine’s Estate and her sister in equal parts.ย  The sister insists that she wants the land back.ย  Ermine was the Executrix and made the best decision for the Estate and for her own survival.

2. Why did the attempt to settle the matter in a civil manner fail?

From what I was told by other family members, those who are screaming on social media chose to go to court rather than sit down and have a conversation.

3. A question that forces you to be speculative, where do you see a non litigious settlement to this matter?

I believe that Ms. Stewart is enjoying 15 minutes of fame and expects that the sale will be reversed because of public sentiment. With respect to settling short of legal action, I have been told that one family member flew to Barbados at her own expense and attempted to meet with Mr. Payne and Ms. Stewart and her mother.ย  Mr. Payne’s office accepted the appointment and when the three women arrived, the secretary advised them that Mr. Payne could not meet with them because, “they had engaged in litigation.”ย  ย I doubt that they are willing to settle the matter short of getting the beach land back.The family has sided with Mrs. Atwell on this matter and are no longer commenting.

4. What did the will leave for the others? Can we see?ย ย 

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189 responses to “The Estate of Marie Stewart – Family Feud Over Land Matter Gone Public II”


  1. is it like a ton tine, where any survivors get the money or if one child has passed away and the will is not settled would his share transfer to their heirs, it may not mean anything in this case but that is a very inadequate will in this day and age.


  2. “the original deeds were lost”

    It is the ownerยดs responsibility to keep the record.

    We should not blame the present AG that first, the said family lost the deeds and second, that Barbados had no proper land registry like civilized nations for such a long time.

    If there is a functioning and reliable public land registry, you simply get a copy of the entry in the record book. You can request a new copy whenever you want – for a small fee, provided you can identify yourself using an ID card or passport.

    However, I guess some Bajans even mess up their ID and passport.

    The AG must stay calm now and must focus on the incoming agreements with IMF and international creditors like Credit Suisse. When the youtubers visit Barbados it is still time to lock them up for defamation.


  3. ๐Ÿค”๐Ÿค


  4. This is now a family feud playing out in public..

    .Lawson. .you dont have to have a convoluted will, a simple request that your wishes are adherred to regarding your beneficiaries and their issues would suffice and filed in the Court, Registry..

    lawyers like the convoluted crap to create confusion to see what they can steal..you do not need lawyers to create your will…you can get a Will template online and create your own Will…keep lawyers out of your business where your money and properties are concerned. …


  5. @Sarah Cyrus” I was told that Ermine advised other family members as to the bank where funds are being held. The funds belong to Ermineโ€™s Estate and her sister in equal parts.”

    Half of $2.4 million is $1.2 million. A nice pieca change.

    If I had access to $1.2 million, instead of access to $9.36 cents, I wouldda done lick it up ever since.

    Stupssseee!!!


  6. The problem here is, if other family members were not in the will…well, they dont care, but why did none of them take care of the old lady Ermine and help her, cause it appears just like PAIN and TEETS, they too sat back and watched her die in filth…and did not lift a finger.

    The video is pretty gruesome and proof as to how she was treated by her lawyers.


  7. Regarding the replacement of lost deeds I am pretty sure the law changed within the last 5 years.

    Titling suits were for a short time outlawed because as I understood at the time they were being abused.

    I think the change in the law is that a copy of the deed/conveyance in the Registry can be used to perfect title.

    In titling suits, a fictitious mortgage is created by an attorney at law and the prospective owner “taken” to court for settlement.

    The mortgage is paid and in so doing the title is perfected.

    But, in creating the fictitious mortgage the obvious questions arises โ€ฆ. how was this creation done if the title deeds did not exist in the first place?

    I have heard stories and seen instances that would turn your stomach, from all over Barbados and involving some real heavy rollers since the 1960’s.

    As soon as I hear lost deeds or deeds destroyed, or the dog ate them, I listen to hear the rest.


  8. Simple…but PAIN and TEETS are yet to release the 2.4 million, they knew the old lady was desperate for cash and they held on to the money and kept charging her although she had nothing….it appears they still have not released it..none of that is right.

    This is not going away and will continue to get worse for those involved in selling land without permission from all beneficiaries and selling without title deeds, dont care how they try to dress it up..it was illegal and criminal.


  9. Hoarding issues maybe?

    Hoarding=the persistent difficulty discarding or parting with possessions, regardless of their actual value.

    A hoarding disorder= where someone acquires an excessive number of items and stores them in a chaotic manner, usually resulting in unmanageable amounts of clutter. The items can be of little or no monetary value.

    Hoarding is considered a significant problem if:

    the amount of clutter interferes with everyday living โ€“ for example, the person is unable to use their kitchen or bathroom and cannot access rooms
    the clutter is causing significant distress or negatively affecting the quality of life of the person or their family โ€“ for example, they become upset if someone tries to clear the clutter and their relationship suffers
    Hoarding disorders are challenging to treat because many people who hoard frequently do not see it as a problem, or have little awareness of how it’s affecting their life or the lives of others.

    Many do realise they have a problem but are reluctant to seek help because they feel extremely ashamed, humiliated or guilty about it.

    It’s really important to encourage a person who is hoarding to seek help, as their difficulties discarding objects can not only cause loneliness and mental health problems but also pose a health and safety risk.

    If not tackled, it’s a problem that will probably never go away.


  10. Wait people die poor everday but the filth and gore in the home where she lived tells a story of neglect by those whom Erma had authorize to maintain the home
    Even if the sale of the property took a long time there should be no excuse as to why her home was unkept after all those who were supposed to be looking after her best interest were being paid


  11. Hoarding is considered a significant problem if…for example, THEY BECOME UPSET IF SOMEONE TRIES TO CLEAR THE CLUTTER.


  12. And Enuff can keep his bottomfeeding self from jumping out to gloat at every post that futs into his plans while forgetting the facts…did they promise you some of the 2.4 million…yall are carrion birds ya know. …. Jackie will deal with your unethical ass tomorrow. ..

    when we get the Bajan public to stay completely away from lawyers in Barbados….hopefully Enuff will have to go to US or elsewhere to look for work…yall are despicable.


  13. We frequently see stories on the back page of the Nation which seem to involve hoarding issues, the homes are filled with truck loads of clutter. A friend, a former school principal lived like that towards the end of life. it was not poverty. It was not neglect. It was untreated mental illness. It was s bad that even privately hired housekeepers REFUSED to go into the house.

    It can happen to anybody.

    Professionals.

    The business class.

    The political class.

    It is always distressing and shocking, especially if the person had previously been a high functioning professional.


  14. It is a scandal to attack the AG of an independent country to extract some private cash. If you attack the Federal AG of Russia in such a way he will unleash the most evil and nameless demons on you, not a nice Muller.

    As Bush Tea pointed out, how can the AG handle the very complicated legal aspects of the real Barbadian debt crisis when some youtubers are able to mess around without legal consequences? This is no business as usual anymore, this is Ragnarok time.

    And what about the “9 months [sic!] IMF programme? I guess, THAT is a talking point. If the IMF programme is so short and messed up like these deeds, the two youtubers can buy some popcorn for 2 mill. BBD.


  15. Tron…the land belong to the ladies, they do not want any cash from the illegal sale of their land, Marshall put himself in this, he has to see it through to the end, being AG is no excuse, this matter should have been resolved and the land returned to the beneficiary, the lawyers desperation is showing and if they spent the money from the illegal land sale…they are up shit street and they know it…lol


  16. Why is it so difficult to give back the purchasers their 2.4 million and give back the ladies their land, there are no title deeds to give the purchaser…so what is the holdup.., eh!!!!


  17. I always understood that if tenants in common cannot agree on the use of their land the court can get involved.

    The end result can be that the court orders the sale of land.

    All the expenses are paid and what is left is distributed among or between the tenants in common.

    If the land is ordered sold, every thing is in the open โ€ฆ or should be.

    Who says $2.4 million was the price the market would pay?

    It could be more, or less.

    The point is everything is in the open.

    I guess the legal question here is can the buyer get good title to the land if it is owned by tenants in common without all of them agreeing to the sale?

    Or more simply, can an executor/trix sell property from the estate if it is earmarked for more than one beneficiary?

    I think the executrices (two of them) should have first ensured the title passed to the three sisters and then the three of them dispose of the land as they saw fit.

    Quite possibly, one might have bought out the other two.

    One of the sisters died early, we are assuming intestate,

    But if she had a will, her beneficiaries would have expected to have her share in the land passed to them.

    We are assuming since the sister who died first without children had no one to become an heir.

    Title should have passed to the three, or two โ€ฆ. or one.

    Suppose Ermine Atwell had died before the land had been sold and was intestate, it would all have gone to the third sister โ€ฆ. OR,… her heirs and she has more than one child โ€ฆ. and those children may have children.

    What I see is a mother fighting for what could justly be considered for her children, that’s the principle at its simplest..

    Back to Kipling!!!

    She who faces Death by torture for each life beneath her breast
    May not deal in doubt or pityโ€”must not swerve for fact or jest.
    These be purely male diversionsโ€”not in these her honour dwellsโ€”
    She the Other Law we live by, is that Law and nothing else.

    She is wedded to convictionsโ€”in default of grosser ties;
    Her contentions are her children, Heaven help him who denies!โ€”
    He will meet no suave discussion, but the instant, white-hot, wild,
    Wakened female of the species warring as for spouse and child.

    Unprovoked and awful chargesโ€”even so the she-bear fights,
    Speech that drips, corrodes, and poisonsโ€”even so the cobra bites,
    Scientific vivisection of one nerve till it is raw
    And the victim writhes in anguishโ€”like the Jesuit with the squaw!


  18. โ€œThere are more questions than answersโ€ โ€“ song popularised by Johnny Nash

    If the lady was advanced $200,000 why was she still living in squalor? Was there really an advance? One would think that the advance would be to assist her in improving her lot.

    Why did the executor undertake a sale and not notify the other living beneficiary of her intentions?

    The proceeds of the sale are supposedly in a Bank, were the other beneficiaries advised? It seems that some people know while others are in the dark.

    Why are people assuming that 2.4 million is in a Bank somewhere? According to the agreement the vendor was responsible for paying commission of 5% and VAT 17.5%. The vendor will also have to repay the $200,000 โ€œloanโ€ plus lawyerโ€™s fees and the amount of the fees is anyoneโ€™s guess.

    โ€œThe more I find out the less I knowโ€


  19. The excuse it seems to me being presented is that in the absence of title deeds, title cannot pass to the three tenants in common.

    I know something is wrong with this reasoning.

    That is because I know from personal experience that executors of a will can give an assent to the beneficiaries, deeds or no deeds!!!

    I have seen it done!!!

    That vests the land in the hands of the beneficiaries to whom it has been left!!

    The executrix I don’t think can just sell estate property that is not hers!!

    I don’t even think an executrix can sell anything that is left to her alone before she does her duties.

    She is in a position of trust.


  20. What makes the sale so illegal..the lawyers did not go and let the courts decide to sell because of the ongoing dispute and distribute to the surviving beneficiary…they sold the land themselves. ..without title deeds and in secret..


  21. An executor/trix executes the last wishes of the testator!!

    Did the testator want her land sold?

    NO!!!!

    It was for her three children!!


  22. The women who has been ” gettin on bad ” in the video are another couple of Bajans who have been caught in the

    cesspool of land,inheritance, lawyers and family that can change a mild mannered person into an angry one.

    I empathize with the women in the video.

    Their perception is their reality.

    No one pays you any attention if you are ” nice “.

  23. Olivia Wellington Avatar
    Olivia Wellington

    If the mother died so long ago why is the daughter now coming forward? Why wasn’t she checking on her sister and sharing the expenses. Why didn’t she have a copy of her mother’s will If she was visiting her sister how come she didn’t see the disgusting living conditions. Was she the youngest, if not why wasn’t she an executor. I believe that some illegal stuff went down but I am not sure the two ladies telling the whole trut.


  24. That is because I know from personal experience that executors of a will can give an assent to the beneficiaries, deeds or no deeds!!!
    I have seen it done!!!
    That vests the land in the hands of the beneficiaries to whom it has been left!!
    +++++++++++++++++++++++++

    I am wrong!!!!

    Memory playing tricks.

    For 11 years the executors of that estate claimed the deeds had been lost.

    Then their hand got forced and the deeds appeared, with the assent.

    In this case I believe as soon as the deeds were restored, the executrix should have given the Assent to the beneficiaries.

    The Executrix could not sell that land because she had fulfilled the testator’s last will and transferred title from her mother to herself and her sisters!!

    All/both had to agree.

    If the half of lawyer inside of me is right, whoever lawyer advised Ermine Atwell in her capacity as executrix to sell the land is at fault.

    “Mr. Payneโ€™s office accepted the appointment and when the three women arrived, the secretary advised them that Mr. Payne could not meet with them because, โ€œthey had engaged in litigation.โ€”

    Marie Stewart has grandchildren, none from two of her daughters, all from one.

    Natural succession being interfered with.

    Courtroom 9 The Honourable Mr. Justice Randall Worrell, Judge of the High Court

    9:00 a.m 1 CV1258/2016 Glenda Stewart v. Ermine Lavedney Atwell

    What was Worrell’s decision?


  25. Matter was set for decision in February 2017.


  26. We should be able to see a decision of the High Court!!


  27. It is the blogmaster’s understanding that both Ermine Atwell and Ursuline Stewart had Wills. Neither died intestate, Ursuline and Ermine were co-executrices. Marie Stewart died in 2006. Glenda Harewood was given a copy of the Will when her mother died. Curious why she decided not to take control and claim her inheritance then rather that 12 years later?


  28. Curious why she decided not to take control and claim her inheritance then rather that 12 years later?

    +++++++++++++++++++++

    To whom did Ermine Atwell and Ursuline Stewart leave their tenancies in common in their wills?

    Neither had children.

    Worrell’s decision should shed some light.


  29. https://www.thebalance.com/who-inherits-property-owned-as-tenants-in-common-3505229

    “Unlike with some other forms of property ownership, tenants in common are free to sell or transfer their shares to other people without the consent or permission of the other tenant or tenants. Each tenant reserves the right to include his share of the property in his estate plan, leaving it to anyone he likes when he dies.”

    Paul Wright seems to be a tenant in common with Glenda Harewood.


  30. Even more curious โ€ฆ. why didn’t Ermine Atwell restore the deeds sooner and just sell her share if she was destitute?

    โ€ฆ and why not to her sister?

    Who would buy a share in a tenancy in common with an unknown person?


  31. The blogmaster would like to hear some more about the account where the proceeds from the sale of the land was deposited.


  32. The agreement with CGP Ventures Inc. and Paul Wright is for the sale of land.

    I just can’t see how the executrix can by pass the will of the testator and prevent her sisters from becoming tenants in common.

    Just can’t see it โ€ฆ but I am only half a lawyer!!

    I think Paul Wright has bought a pig in a poke.


  33. The land sale took a very long time because the original deeds were lost. For ten years, Ms. Atwell survived on her pension and financial assistance from her great-nephew Teon and another cousin.
    +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

    Whose child is Teon?

    Is he a grand son of Glenda Harewood?


  34. Agree with Lawson’s earlier point, the Will seems to be poorly drawn up.


  35. Who is Jewell Barrow and why was she was called before the coroner? when Atwell died? Some are of the view that Mrs. Atwell was being watched and were instructed to notify lawyers at the appropriate time.


  36. It isn’t the land sale that was delayed, it is also the assent to the three tenants in common which I believe (only half a lawyer remember) should have occurred before the sale of land.

    โ€ฆ and it appears to me in its absence … the sale of land is void โ€ฆ. ab initio!!


  37. Tenancy In Common (TIC)
    What is ‘Tenancy In Common (TIC)’

    Tenancy in common is a situation in which two or more people have ownership interests in a property. Each owner has the right to leave his share of the property to any beneficiary upon the owner’s death. Tenancy in common is different than joint tenancy because the transfer of the property to a beneficiary in the event of an owner’s death is different: In a joint tenancy agreement, the title of the property is passed to the surviving owner, while in a tenancy-in-common agreement, the title can be passed to a beneficiary of the owner’s choosing.

    Read more: Tenancy In Common (TIC) https://www.investopedia.com/terms/t/tenancy_in_common.asp#ixzz5PRWAqmE4


  38. @John

    The blogmaster understands that prior to her death, Mrs Atwell had reconciled with some other family members and they were in the process of helping her clean up and ready the house for renovation. It was at that juncture that her living conditions were discovered. She was forthcoming and explained that the emotional strain of Mr. Atwell’s death followed by her sister and mother had taken its toll and she had lost control. Several workers from environmental services assisted and were abruptly called off. Even when family offered to pay privately, workers said that they could not continue. Mrs. Atwell died a few weeks after clean up started.


  39. David, thanks for sharing that part of the will for everyone who was doubtful to actually read it. It is cut and dry without any room to maneuver. It was a legal document. It was probated as valid so why did the judge not honour it is beyond me.

    @John, I would love to read the basis of the Judge’s decision and to be exact which laws he interpreted to make his decision. Was he following a precedent or did he establish a new one.
    His judgement should be of concern to everyone one who lives on family land or who intends to leave their property to their children as tenants in common.
    I would also like to read the arguments that were put forward by the lawyers to change the terms of the will, thereby disinheriting the beneficiaries and advancing a sale without title deeds.
    The will did not state that the land could be sold. If indeed the land could be sold, only one third which was Ermine’s portion could be available for sale as the other beneficiary was not in agreement.

    What has happened to the $2.5 Million plus interest? That is indeed a million dollar question.

    @ Jeff, what is the mandate of the Caribbean Court of Justice?
    Can this case be taken up there?


  40. If a share in a tenancy in common is negotiable then Ermine Atwell prior to her breakdown could have borrowed against that share โ€ฆ or sold it.

    I doubt if the $200K it is claimed she borrowed was unsecured.

    If she had distributed the property to the three tenants in common Glenda Harewood could also have borrowed against her share and bought out her sister โ€ฆ. or lent money to her sister.

    Glenda Harewood from what I see so far acted honorably.

    What we see now seems to be manufactured by some very evil people waiting for people to pass.

    Back to Kipling!!

    But the Woman that God gave him, every fibre of her frame
    Proves her launched for one sole issue, armed and engined for the same;
    And to serve that single issue, lest the generations fail,
    The female of the species must be deadlier than the male.

    Proper lawyers/advisors could have avoided all of this.

    This fight is now all about”lest the generations fail” โ€ฆ. and what I see is a strong next generation that would make Marie Stewart and Ellsworth Holder proud!!

    Their ancestors too โ€ฆ more on that later!!


  41. Real men got real problems in Bim!!

    Serve them right!!


  42. There is a remedy I have seen used to deal with an executor who will not complete his/her duties.

    Glenda Harewood could have asked the court to replace Ermine Atwell as executrix.

    How far she would have got with that is debatable โ€ฆ. my experience is after 4 years trying to get dates, probably not possible!!

    Like Ermine Atwell, the executor has also died in the case with which I am familiar.

    So, I think the matter is being prosecuted in a way which given a choice of a functional court would not have been chosen.

    Good luck to Glenda Harewood and her daughter.

    If you think Donville is a blight my guess is you ain’t seen nothing yet!!


  43. @David
    Some are of the view that Mrs. Atwell was being watched and were instructed to notify lawyers at the appropriate time.
    +++++++++++
    How many hats were the lawyer(s) wearing? Were they also her personal representative? Perhaps the story about the $200,000 loan is fake as she didnโ€™t live like a woman who had that sum of money to take care of herself and the property.

    It would be interesting to locate the Justiceโ€™s decision and the basis for it (remember there was a statement that the lawyers won)

  44. Piece Uh De Rock Yeah Right Avatar
    Piece Uh De Rock Yeah Right

    De ole man works concepts through shapes.

    So for me to even comprehend this it must be converted to a “shape”

    https://i.imgur.com/XSJmB4T.jpg

    So when one views all the talk what one arrives at is a will with 3 parties as beneficiaries and then a procedure to permit those parties to benefit from that will.

    So I follow through the narrative and arrive at the same point as John The Quaker which is that the executrix could not dispose of the assets WITHOUT ASSENT of 3 parties and since that step seems not to have been done IT STRONGLY SUGGESTS THAT a sale was effected without the process being completed in its entirety.

    This IS GOING TO BE THE BUGBEAR FOR AG Dale Marshall because he is on record saying that he won the case.

    It is also going to go against the Justice that ruled in his favour but this is not a surprising thing because that is the Brotherhood of the Rose that obtains in Barbados.

    IT, the system DOES NOT CARE whether you are the owner of any asset WHAT THEY WILL DO IS CONSPIRE TO DENY YOU OF WHAT IS YOURS and you are powerless to change it.

    I commend these two women for their persistence and Mariposa for grabbing onto the matter ALBEIT THAT SHE WAS DISPOSED TO DO SO BECAUSE IT IS CONTRA BLP.

    And the Honourable Blogmaster for prosecuting it as he usually does and has done in the past.

    You are going to become Transparency International (Barbados) against your will rather you are going to facilitate THe Platform against your will, watch and see.


  45. From the information shared with the blogmaster restoring the deeds was a long process read Ren Holder to Ellsworth then to Marie…and so on. The Weston component and the Orange Hill land were not as complicated as the main estate. Teon Blake, the grandson of Glenda and another cousin provided financial support and they have their receipts to show. Teon even flew to Barbados (sanctioned by his mother and grandmother) with developers to develop the land and give them a substantial income. This was thwarted by Mrs. Atwells’ attorneys (who are the attorneys again?) who had more influence and the debt service piled up while it took years to restore the deeds.


  46. @Heather

    The blogmaster was advised (cannot substantiate at this point) that two cousins were entrusted with the bank information. Some person went to the house after Ermine died and searched and destroyed all papers related to her legal transactions. They did not find what they were looking for because she had given them to an overseas cousin for safe-keeping. The blogmaster cannot substantiate at this point but we are told most of the papers the papers capture very creative book-keeping and inconsistent dates.


  47. @Sargeant

    Is it true that the court case was won by default because attorneys were not present?


  48. No matter what ever is being said or put forward by third parties as information
    No matter what . The fact remains that the other sister a name mentioned as a beneficiary was not told or involved in the sale of the properties and the lawyers never cared or seem to have any concerned that the sister involvement would have been necessary and correct and legally binding prior to any transactions having to do with the estate

    https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=872901789586028&id=100005986451739


  49. This issue is not going to be buried underground
    There is a real cause for these women to be mad as hell
    The estate legally would be passed on to the next surviving sister
    No one had any legal rights to sell anything behind their backs
    The question which Payne and Marshall needs to answer is how were they able to transacts papers without the sisters approval or involvement

    Over to you Payne and Dale


  50. Oh sh.it Now adding insult to injury these idiots crawling out the wood work trying to protect Payne with fradulent documents
    Seeming to forget the reason why the elephant is standing in the room

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