A Spring Arbor couple remains in a Mexican prison, accused of breaking a timeshare contract — but their lawyer argues it was the resort that failed to uphold its end of the deal first.

Paul and Christy Akeo face fraud charges, accused of canceling over $110,000 in payments to Palace Elite, a subsidiary of The Palace Company. They were arrested at Cancun Airport on March 4. Their children insist the accusations are false, saying even their credit card company sided with them in the dispute.

Attorney John  Manly says the couple was drawn into a timeshare agreement in 2021 with manageable payments. But he claims the resort later stripped their benefits and raised the cost to $6,200 a month while blocking them from reselling weeks as promised. He argues that Palace Elite, not the Akeos, breached the contract.

Palace Elite says the couple fraudulently disputed valid charges and encouraged others to do the same. A Mexican judge has ruled the case can proceed to trial.