A High Court judge has dismissed an application by the Antigua and Barbuda Fishermen Co-Operative Society to force a rival group to surrender control of the organisation, finding it would be unjust to issue orders against individuals who had no notice of the proceedings.
According to Antigua.news, the ruling came earlier this year after the society's 2014-elected board sought injunctions compelling the handover of keys, passwords, financial records, and bank account access from the group currently occupying the organisation's leadership. The decision marks the latest chapter in a governance dispute that has gripped the society for nearly a decade.
The conflict traces its roots to 2017, when members removed then-president Leonard Mussington and treasurer Lyndon Greene from the society's membership after finding they had joined the board of Antigua Fisheries Ltd — a move prohibited under the society's constitution. Despite their removal, Mussington and his associates refused to relinquish control. A Special General Meeting held in November 2017 removed the 2014 board and elected a new executive in its place, with Garry Gore emerging as General Secretary.
Years of litigation followed. In December 2022, the executive led by Sir Dr Anderson Roberts as president and Gore as General Secretary reclaimed physical access to the society's North Street headquarters following a High Court ruling in their favour.
The legal battle continued, however. A December 2025 High Court judgment declared the board elected at the society's 2014 AGM — Mussington's board — to be the lawful board, and declared the 2017 election of Gore's board null, void, and of no legal effect.
That ruling prompted Mussington's group to apply in February 2026 for injunctions compelling Gore's group to surrender keys, passwords, financial records, and bank account control. In a supporting affidavit, Mussington noted that the Financial Services Regulatory Commission had confirmed in January 2026 that it recognises the 2014 board and no longer recognises the 2017 group.
Gore opposed the application, arguing that Mussington and Greene were lawfully expelled from membership in 2015 and that a Special General Meeting held on February 12, 2026 had elected an entirely new board under section 90 of the Co-Operative Societies Act — one that supersedes both competing groups.
The judge, ruling in March, found that most of the named respondents in the 2026 lawsuit were not members of either the 2017 board or the board purportedly elected in February 2026, with Gore being the sole exception. Granting the injunction would therefore mean issuing orders against persons who had no opportunity to be heard — something the court declined to do.
The judge further noted that the February 2026 election may have materially altered the situation, and that the validity of that election would likely need to be resolved through a separate legal claim.
The society was ordered to pay $3,000 in costs to the respondents within fourteen days.
The portion of the December 2025 judgment addressing decisions taken by the 2017 board during its tenure remains under appeal. Justin Simon KC, who represented Gore's group in the 2022 proceedings, continued as counsel for the respondents at the March 2026 hearing. The 2014 board was represented by Dr David Dorsett.
