Claim: "It's been 9 years since the court ruled against the CDC."
Verdict: TRUE
Full Text: On Saturday, August 23, the Liberia National Police executed a court invasion order on the headquarters of the opposition party Coalition for Democratic Change. Ever since then, there have been pro and anti comments against the party officials for limited leadership, which led the party to this stage, while others pointed accusing fingers at the government for masterminding the invasion; one of such people is Martin Kollie.
On August 25, 2025, Kollie appeared on the Super Morning Show, where he stated, among other things, that the court ruled against the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) nine years before the weekend invasion, implying that the government had nothing to do with it, as many officials are making it appear.
The component of the interview, which was shared on his official Facebook page, generated 886 reactions, 179 comments, and 34 thousand views.
Verification: TSM reviewed court documents and followed legal proceedings spanning nearly a decade.
In 2015, a significant property dispute emerged when Ebrima Varney Dempster, administrator of the late William Bernard's estate, filed a lawsuit on behalf of Martha Stubblefield-Bernard. The case targeted Archibald F. Bernard and other family members, including the CDC, over ownership of prime real estate on Tubman Boulevard that serves as the CDC headquarters.
On May 15, 2015, Judge Johannes Zogbay Zlahn delivered a decisive verdict favoring Martha Stubblefield-Bernard as the rightful property owner. The court ordered the CDC to vacate the premises immediately. The case did not end there. Archibald Bernard and the CDC, represented by then-acting chairman Nathaniel McGill, appealed the decision to Liberia's highest court.
In 2016, the Supreme Court upheld Judge Zlahn's original ruling. The justices noted that both Archibald Bernard and the CDC failed to present credible witnesses to support their ownership claims. Additionally, the court awarded Martha Stubblefield-Bernard $50,000 in damages for the illegal occupation of her property.
The legal saga continued into 2024 and 2025:
In March 2024, Judge Golda A. Bonah Elliot issued a writ of possession, directing sheriffs to enforce the eviction of CDC from the 4.23-acre property in accordance with the 2015 and 2016 court judgments.
CDC's Response: The party challenged the eviction at the Supreme Court, but the high court dismissed CDC's Bill of Information, ruling that tenants cannot dispute their landlord's title after paying rent for years.
And on August 1, Judge George Smith rejected the CDC's petition, compelling the estate to sell the 4.23-acre property, finding that no valid sales contract existed.
Judge Smith on August 13, requested Inspector General Gregory O.W. Coleman of the Liberia National Police to provide armed officers to assist court officials with the CDC's eviction.
Subsequently, on August 15, the full Supreme Court bench overturned a lower court verdict regarding a related 12.92-acre property dispute involving Danilette Tucker Bernard, widow of William Thomas Bernard.
The court ruled that survivorship rights ended upon death, returning the land to the estate for proper probate distribution. The justices identified inconsistencies in the deed and misapplications of law by the Civil Law Court while reaffirming previous eviction orders against CDC.
Conclusion: TSM's research confirms that Kollie's statement is accurate. The courts indeed ruled against CDC in 2015, with the Supreme Court upholding this decision in 2016, making it approximately 10 years since the initial judgment.
However, rather than facing immediate eviction, CDC remained on the property through lease and rental arrangements with the rightful owner's estate, explaining why the legal battle has persisted into 2025.
