The duly authorized leadership of The Dolphin Company has issued a strong rebuttal to false claims made by former CEO Eduardo Albor Villanueva, who has been attempting to reinstate himself through unauthorized press releases. According to a statement from PRNewswire, Steven Strom, Independent Director, and Robert Wagstaff, Chief Restructuring Officer, remain the duly authorized representatives of the company under both Mexican and US court supervision. The authorized leadership emphasized that no Mexican court has overturned the March 2025 change in leadership and that any suggestions to the contrary are simply false.
US advisers liquidating The Dolphin Company, the Mexican aquatic-theme parks operator, have requested court permission to sell parks in Cancun, Mexico, alongside 87 dolphins and other marine mammals. According to reports from Bloomberg, the Mexico-based company filed for bankruptcy last year after lenders removed its longtime CEO, and has already sold parks in the US and Europe under US court supervision. The proposed transaction with Delphinus Blue Planet includes 87 bottlenose dolphins, six sea lions and eight manatees, with the US judge overseeing the liquidation required to approve the sale before it can close.
A critical development emerged on April 4, 2025, when a Mexico City civil court issued precautionary measures prohibiting Mr. Albor from holding himself out as, or acting as, a representative of the Company. As reported by PRNewswire, these measures continue to be in effect and represent a significant legal barrier to Albor's attempts at reinstatement. The company emphasized that it will not allow inaccurate public statements to distract from its work, remaining focused on completing its Chapter 11 restructuring and protecting animal welfare.
The legal fight between lenders and former CEO Eduardo Albor, who has been fined $10,000 per day by a US judge for interfering with park operations, shows no signs of resolution. According to PRNewswire, Albor's actions in connection with seeking to initiate a Mexican insolvency proceeding have become the subject of criminal proceedings pending against Mr. Albor in Mexico, which remain ongoing. The lenders and American advisers continue to dispute Albor's claims about the Supreme Court ruling, telling the US bankruptcy judge that he has repeatedly lost cases in Mexico, while Albor contends that a favorable Mexican ruling through the special appeals process known as amparo means all previous court decisions favoring lenders should be overturned.
The former CEO has blamed the park operator's financial troubles on the Covid-19 pandemic and testified that animal and visitor safety was his top priority. As reported by Bloomberg, Albor argues that accusations concerning dolphin welfare were intended to distract from his legal argument that Dolphin Co. advisers lacked corporate authority to file the Chapter 11 case. The company's authorized leadership emphasized their commitment to the responsible restructuring of the company, stating they remain focused on supporting employees and animals who depend on continued operations while preserving value for stakeholders.
