Nassau, BAHAMAS-A Supreme Court judge has temporarily blocked a widow from the home she shared with her deceased husband.
Cynthia Burrows-Turnquest’s brother-in-law, Andrew Turnquest, says she has no right to the home because it belongs to him.
Mrs. Burrows-Turnquest moved into the disputed home in Lower Deadman’s Cay, Long Island when she married the plaintiff’s brother, Noel Turnquest, in February 2019.
He died a short time after their union in April 2019.
The property where the home is located belonged to Benedict Turnquest. He inherited the land from his father in 1964.
Benedict Turnquest died without a will in 2001. As his father’s eldest son, Andrew Turnquest was entitled to all of his real property.
Mrs. Burrows-Turnquest owns a home of her own. She voluntarily returned to her place after her husband’s death.
However, the dispute arose after Mrs. Burrows-Turnquest asserted a right to the home that she occupied during her brief marriage.
Mr. Turnquest said that Mrs. Burrows-Turnquest changed the locks to the house and removed property from the home after her husband died.
Mrs. Burrows-Turnquest alleges that her late husband exclusively occupied the house for 30 years.
However, her brother-in-law disputed this claim, saying his parents and other relatives had lived in the home over the years.
Mrs. Burrows-Turnquest also alleged that her late husband’s father had “informally allocated” the home to him.
Both Cynthia Burrows-Turnquest and Andrew Turnquest sought injunctions, barring each other from the disputed home until a trial.
Justice Ian Winder granted Mr. Turnquest’s an injunction against Mrs. Burrows-Turnquest earlier this month.
In his ruling, Justice Winder said that Mrs. Burrows-Turnquest had failed to establish “an exclusive right to possession of the property to her husband or to herself.”
Winder dismissed Mrs. Turnquest’s application for an injunction.
Owen Wells appeared for Mr. Turnquest and Sidney Dorsett represented Mrs. Burrows-Turnquest.
