by Sabrina Salas Matanane

Guam - U.S. District Court of Guam Chief Judge Frances Tydingco-Gatewood has denied a motion for a temporary restraining order filed by Attorney Curtis Van De Veld on behalf of original landowners who are suing the Guam Ancestral Lands Commission. At issue is public law signed recently that allows the agency to deed former FAA property in their inventory to land owners of Tiyan properties that were taken by the airport.

Other landowners claim the land swap is unfair because Tiyan landowners are the only group who will benefit from the exchange. Chief Judge Gatewood has also given the plaintiffs until September 2 to file a brief on why the case shouldn't be dismissed all together.

In the meantime, the GALC is moving forward with implementing the law, giving property owners two weeks to gather documents including abstracts of titles and land survey certifications. The Commission estimates it will begin hearings to deed out the parcels early next month.

By law, the GALC must complete the exchange within 180 days of when the law was signed on July 13, on January 13, 2011.