Court grants joint motion to dismiss Piki Lopez petition

A Mandaluyong court has granted a joint motion by the parties to dismiss with prejudice an indirect contempt petition filed by Lopez Holdings Corp. (LHC) chairman Federico “Piki” Lopez against several directors and corporate officers over his removal as president of Lopez Inc. (LI), the listed company disclosed Wednesday.

In a filing with the Philippine Stock Exchange, Lopez Holdings said the Regional Trial Court of Mandaluyong City, Branch 209, issued an order dated 26 October granting the joint motion to dismiss the petition.

“The Court has dismissed the Petition. The parties have been furnished by their respective counsels a copy of the court order dated 26 October 2026 granting the Joint Motion to Dismiss the Complaint with Prejudice and dismissing with prejudice the Petition for Indirect Contempt,” the disclosure read.

Filed on 10 April, the petition sought to hold the respondents in indirect contempt for allegedly violating court orders issued on 11 and 16 March, including a temporary restraining order in a separate case concerning Lopez’s removal as LI president.

The respondents were Lopez Holdings directors Rafael L. Lopez, Martin L. Lopez, Michael Jack B. Garcia and Salvador G. Tirona, as well as corporate secretary Enrique I. Quiason and assistant corporate secretary Maria Amina O. Amado. Wednesday’s disclosure identified Rafael Lopez and Tirona as former directors.

The contempt petition stemmed from a wider dispute within the Lopez family over leadership of LI, the private holding company at the center of the family’s business empire. A 71-percent majority faction of LI, which includes former ABS-CBN chairman Eugenio “Gabby” Lopez III, had called for Piki Lopez’s removal, citing a “loss of trust and confidence,” particularly over First Gen Corp. transactions containing alleged “poison pills” collectively worth around P24 billion.

Piki Lopez challenged his removal following a board vote in February, alleging that certain directors and officers had violated court orders related to his ouster.

The family dispute has also involved the sale of Gabby Lopez’s stake in LI to San Miguel tycoon Ramon Ang. Creme Investment Corp., the holding company through which Gabby Lopez’s branch of the family owns a 25.7-percent stake in LI, has completed the sale, according to the supplied account.

“This dispute has not been good for any of us, or for the people who work in our companies. This allows us to take a step towards the restoration of family peace,” he said.

The broader conflict has involved disagreements over First Gen transactions and proposed financial support for ABS-CBN. LI has since lost its majority shareholder status in the broadcaster following a P6-billion capital infusion led by I&C Holdings Corp. and other members of the Lopez family, announced last September.

Lopez Holdings said the dismissal of the petition would have no effect on the company’s business or operations.