A civil court has condemned Fernando Ramírez de Haro, husband of Esperanza Aguirre, to pay 853,732.83 euros to his brother Íñigo for the sale of a Goya painting from the family inheritance. The ruling settles a dispute started after the 2012 sale of the portrait, which Ramírez de Haro agreed to share with his siblings. While the criminal case was dismissed, the judge has upheld the civil commitment to compensate.
Fernando Ramírez de Haro, husband of former Madrid president Esperanza Aguirre, has been ordered by a civil court to compensate his brother Íñigo Ramírez de Haro with 853,732.83 euros. The dispute centers on a portrait by Francisco de Goya of Valentín Belvís de Moncada Pizarro, count of Bornos—a title shared with Ramírez de Haro. The painting was part of the undivided inheritance from their father, who died in 2010, and was kept in the family home in central Madrid.
Facing pressure from creditors, Ramírez de Haro sold the work in 2012 to businessman Juan Miguel Villar Mir for 5.8 million euros, with Sotheby's acting as intermediary and retaining 684,400 euros. Prior to the sale, he agreed in writing with his siblings to distribute their shares once his financial situation improved. He never fulfilled this promise, prompting Íñigo to sue him criminally in 2023.
Madrid's Audience Court dismissed the criminal case, acknowledging the claimed donation was 'invented' to ease procedures, but ruling there was no crime, only civil liability among siblings. The civil lawsuit continued, with the trial concluding in September for judgment. The ruling, dated November 14, states: “The commitment acquired by the defendant toward his siblings is legally valid and effective.” It adds: “The absence of a set temporal deadline and means to prove economic availability does not prevent the debt's enforceability, considering sufficient prudent time has passed that allows no further delays in fulfilling the agreement.”
The sentence, which can be appealed, concludes a chapter of family disputes over this valuable artwork.