The two former West Indies players received letters of termination on April 10, 2019, shortly after Ricky Skerritt and Dr Kishore Shallow won the Cricket West Indies presidential elections in March that year. The termination letters made reference to a task force that was being established to review the selection system. The task force that was chaired by CWI Vice President Dr Kishore Shallow was expected to make recommendations.
Notwithstanding that the task force had not yet met, CWI fired the selectors ahead any recommendations that would have come from the task force. The matter has been before the courts for the past four years until now when Mason reported that CWI had decided to settle and will pay all legal costs and 15 months’ payment of the contract.
Mason anticipates that Brown’s pay out would amount to about US$75,000. The money would represent welcome funds for Browne, who is still undergoing rehabilitation after suffering serious injuries in a motor-vehicle accident in December 2019.
The driver of the other vehicle involved in the accident, died on the spot.
This latest development was revealed by cricket commentator and broadcaster Andrew Mason, who during his recent Mason and Guest show, disclosed that Browne, Baptiste and their lawyers are back in the industrial courts of Antigua and Barbuda, hoping to enforce an order against CWI.
The two former West Indies players received letters of termination on April 10, 2019, shortly after Ricky Skerritt and Dr Kishore Shallow won the Cricket West Indies presidential elections in March that year. The termination letters made reference to a task force that was being established to review the selection system. The task force that was chaired by Shallow –now the CWI president –was expected to make recommendations.
Notwithstanding that the task force had not yet met, CWI fired the selectors ahead of any recommendations that would have come from the task force. The matter has been before the courts for the past four years, with CWI now seemingly backtracking on its decision to settle and pay all legal costs and 15 months’ payment of the contract to Browne and Baptiste.
Top lawyer Anthony Astaphan, who is working on behalf of Browne and Baptiste gave the latest on the situation.
“No, the matter with Courtney Browne and Eldine Baptist has not been fully settled. There were negotiations between the parties attended by counsel, not me. Mr. West appeared on behalf of Mr. Browne and Mr. Baptiste. I couldn't make it and I think the president of Cricket West Indies was either present or participated and an agreement was arrived at to pay Eldine and Courtney a specific sum,” Astaphan, who was Mason’s guest, shared.
“That agreement on the sums was crystallized into a consent order or an order of the industrial court. Some sums were in fact paid but the full amount was not paid, as a result of which correspondence was sent over to Cricket West Indies.
“I don't believe there was a response, or at least a constructive response. So, Mr. West is in the process now of registering the order of the industrial court in the High Court for the purpose of having to enforce the order against Cricket West Indies by whatever means he may think the most expedient, including executing on the assets of Cricket West Indies,” he added.
