Enforcement of $51.6M Payment Order Against Villamorey

This lawsuit centers on Lisa, S.A.’s demand for payment of over $51 million in dividends that Villamorey, S.A. withheld from 2009 to 2019, despite Lisa’s one-third ownership. Villamorey claims the dividends were retained due to a $281,172.85 seizure order issued in 2008 in case file No. 556-99. However, Lisa argues this does not justify the continued non-payment, since the amount withheld far exceeded the seizure amount, and the seizure order was lifted in Order No. 2277 in 2018. In December 2021, the Eleventh Civil Circuit Court of Panama issued Order No. 2567, affirming Lisa’s claim and mandating Villamorey to pay $51.6 million. Lisa filed multiple enforcement motions—including requests to embargo Villamorey’s assets in Panama and abroad, and to appoint a judicial administrator—but the court failed to act.

Frustrated by judicial inaction, Lisa filed two constitutional amparos in 2022 and 2025, arguing that Judge Lesbia Wolfschon Puga’s refusal to enforce the order violated due process. The appeal filed by Villamorey had been granted with devolutive effect, meaning enforcement should have continued, but the judge allegedly stalled the case for over two years. In April 2025, Lisa escalated the matter by filing a criminal complaint accusing Judge Wolfschon of obstruction of justice and abuse of authority. The Public Prosecutor admitted the complaint in June 2025 and opened a preliminary investigation into the judge’s conduct.