Federico 'Piki' Lopez has initiated legal action against several members of the Lopez majority bloc, requesting a Mandaluyong court to hold them in indirect contempt. This move is part of an ongoing family dispute that has escalated in recent months.
On April 16, the Regional Trial Court of Mandaluyong City Branch 209 issued an order requiring the respondents to respond to the petition within 30 days.
The individuals named in the petition include Rafael Lopez, Martin Lopez, Michael Jack Garcia, Salvador Tirona, and two lawyers, Enrique Quiason and Maria Amina Amado.
The petition follows a special board meeting of Lopez Holdings Corp. on March 26, where Piki accused the respondents of breaching a temporary restraining order and a writ of preliminary injunction.
Piki alleged that the respondents passed a resolution that undermined the official nominees of Lopez Inc. to First Philippine Holdings Corp. (FPH), treating them as just one of several competing lists.
He claimed that another list of nominees, allegedly submitted by another shareholder, was actually from Martin Lopez's mother.
According to the petition, these actions compromised Piki's ability to exercise his voting rights as the duly authorized president of Lopez Inc.
Piki is asking the court to impose fines or prison sentences on the respondents for their alleged contempt and to halt the submission of Maria Teresa Lopez's nominees list to FPH.
This legal battle is part of a broader feud that erupted earlier this year, with the Lopez majority bloc led by Eugenio 'Gabby' Lopez III seeking to remove Piki from leadership positions.
The majority bloc accused Piki of engaging in transactions with 'poison pill' provisions that could allow Prime Infrastructure to acquire assets at discounted rates if management changed.
The conflict has also led to governance issues, delayed disclosures, board resignations, and competing claims over control of key Lopez companies, including Lopez Inc. and FPH.