Supreme Court of Liberia dismisses appeal in Urban Marketing dispute

The Supreme Court of Liberia has dismissed an appeal in a long-running legal dispute between Urban Marketing Group, led by CEO Allen R. Brown, and the interests of the late John Hilary Tubman. The ruling clears the way for the trial court to enforce a declaratory judgment issued on November 28, 2025, in favor of Urban Marketing.

The Court determined that the respondents failed to meet mandatory legal requirements to perfect their appeal, specifically failing to file required appeal bonds and failing to serve and file notices of completion of appeal. Under Liberia’s Civil Procedure Law, these omissions constitute sufficient grounds for dismissal.

In its decision, the Court noted that once a bill of exceptions is approved, the trial court loses jurisdiction over the case, except for limited ministerial actions. Because the respondents failed to comply with the necessary procedural steps, the Supreme Court granted the motion to dismiss the appeal and ordered the Clerk to issue a mandate directing the trial judge to resume jurisdiction and give effect to the original judgment.