A CEPEP contractor has been ordered to pay more than a quarter-million dollars in legal costs after discontinuing a lawsuit seeking to block the termination of his company’s contract.

Stephen Samuel Enterprises Ltd was on Thursday ordered to pay $259,516.25 in legal costs to the Community-Based Environmental Protection and Enhancement Programme (CEPEP), following the withdrawal of its claim for injunctive relief and damages.

The company had filed a claim on July 3, 2025, seeking $4.77 million in damages, together with interest and legal costs, for alleged breach of contract. Had the claim succeeded, CEPEP’s potential financial exposure would have exceeded $5 million and, according to CEPEP, could have set a precedent that might have exposed the State to liabilities in excess of $4 billion from other contractors.