Mas band leaders and former business partners Mike “Big Mike” Antoine and Ian McKenzie’s legal battle over the lease of a property in Woodbrook is set for trial on April 17.
High Court judge Frank Seepersad set the date during a pre-trial review of the case in the Port-of-Spain High Court yesterday morning.
In his lawsuit filed in 2016, McKenzie is challenging Antoine’s move to take control of property at Warren Street, Woodbrook, which was acquired by the duo in 2004 to house their now defunct mas band, Legends.
Antoine and McKenzie won five Band of the Year titles together before they eventually parted ways.
According to his lawsuit, the duo acquired a 30-year lease for the property before McKenzie and his wife went on honeymoon in March 2004.
When they returned they claimed that they found locks on the gates of the property and a security guard refused to let them inside.
The property was converted to house Antoine’s new band Legacy, while McKenzie, who started the band Genesis, was forced to relocate.
Despite the dispute, both parties continued to pay their instalments on the lease and completed payment between December 2006 and February 2007. McKenzie is claiming that Antoine had made offers to pay him off for his share of the lease, but failed to pull through with his offer.
Through his lawsuit, McKenzie is seeking an order forcing the sale of the remainder of the lease, valued at $2.5 million, with the proceeds being split between the both parties.