Government to Compensate Families of Fallen Soldiers Over $750K

The Government of Belize will have to pay out just over seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars in compensation for two of the four soldiers who died in the line of duty in 2020.  In a landmark decision handed down last Friday, the family of the late Belize Defence Force Corporal Yassir Mendez was awarded four hundred and twenty eight thousand, four hundred and seventy two dollars.  Meanwhile, the family of Corporal Reynaldo Choco, has been awarded three hundred and thirty thousand, two hundred and twenty six dollars.  In his ruling, Justice Tawanda Hondora considered several factors, including loss of life expectancy, pre-trial earnings, and future earnings based on the soldiers’ ranks, salaries, and potential promotions. The court also took into account the ages of the soldiers, their youthfulness, and the specialized skills they brought to their military service. Attorney Audrey Matura, who represented the claimants, explained the case’s complexity, noting that on April 12, 2024, the Government of Belize accepted liability for the incident.

Audrey Matura, Attorney: “At the start the government had promised compensation, government changed we had to file a claim within the one year period limitation under the tort act which gives us twelve months in which after their death within which for us to file for wrongful death. We filed that and then there was a lot of back and forth. On the 12th of April 2022 the government finally accepted liability, They said you know we don’t have to go to trial, we agree we are liable for their death in negligence. However what we could not agree on was the quantum of damages, the quantum of compensation. So from April 2022 to October 2024 there was a lot of filing of documents but most of it was legal submissions to the court. In that process the case went through the hands of three different judges and the final judge to make the ruling was Justice Towanda Hondora who gave a very well written and well reasoned out decision 37 pages decision where he explained how he arrived at the decision and in essence what happened he ruled that yes these people are entitled to compensation, combined the two families get over $700,000 in compensation but broken down for different parties, different dependents according to the law. Of course we can’t just say that it’s a done deal because the government also has the right to appeal, they have 21 days from the order of the court to then appeal.”

Justice Hondora has ordered that the government pays the awarded compensation to the families within 60 days from the date of the decision.  The families brought the lawsuit under the Torts Act, claiming loss of financial support, special damages, and compensation for the estates of the deceased soldiers.  Corporals Mendez and Choco were in the Bell UH1 Helicopter along with Majors Adran Ramirez and Radford Baizar on February 27, 2020, when the helicopter crashed into the Western Lagoon in the Belize District during a counter-narcotics operation.  The families of both Majors had settled for one hundred thousand dollars each, bypassing the court system.  The defendants in the case, including the Brigadier General of the BDF, the Attorney General, the Ministry of National Security, and the Attorney General’s Office, were represented by Crown Counsels Alea Gomez and Imani Burgess.