00:00For the vendors of the Femmes du Chalet cooperative, today brought a crucial, even if temporary, sigh of relief.
00:07The Court of Appeal dismissed the Urban Development Corporation's application to treat its eviction appeal as a matter of extreme
00:15urgency.
00:16In delivering the oral ruling today, Chief Justice Ronnie Boudou Singh was clear, stating that,
00:22quote, we find no justification for departing from the orderly judicial process already established, end quote.
00:30The Chief Justice went on to note that, quote, the threshold for an urgent expedited appeal has not been met
00:37as there is no immediate irreparable damage to the public interest in preserving the status quo, end quote.
00:45Quote, crucially for the families who depend on the facility, the court concluded that the balance of justice is best
00:52served
00:52by allowing these vendors to continue their trade until their substantive rights are fully determined at trial.
01:00At the heart of this legal battle is a bitter financial and historical dispute.
01:05Udicot claims the cooperative owes nearly $2 million in unpaid rent, but the vendors contend the situation is skewed.
01:12They argue that they have been crippled by electricity charges levied far above what they were supposed to pay
01:18due to the wrong classification for the building.
01:22More fundamentally, the cooperative argues that it holds an equitable lease on the land.
01:2875 years ago, these vendors voluntarily relocated from the site now occupied by the Hyatt Regency
01:35to facilitate national development.
01:37They argue that history earned them the right to stay.
01:41The substantive trial to resolve these deep-rooted claims is set for January 2027.
01:47For now, the legal maneuvering is paused.
01:50The courts have twice agreed that this nearly century-old culinary institution cannot be swept away overnight.
01:58Alicia Boucher, TV6 News.
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