Dynamis Secures Sweeping Victory in Lobkowicz Family Czech Art Case
Christopher Stefanoni won a major victory in the Massachusetts Superior Court, Business Litigation Section, this week, overcoming the defendants’ sweeping motion to dismiss his claims over control and profits of the historic Lobkowicz family estate. Justice Debra A. Squires-Lee’s decision — issued on October 22, 2025 — ensures that Stefanoni’s case will move forward in Massachusetts, affirming his right to pursue claims of fraud, breach of contract, and fiduciary duty against the remaining Lobkowicz defendants.
Upholding Massachusetts Jurisdiction
At the heart of Stefanoni’s win was his insistence that the dispute properly belongs in Massachusetts, not in the Czech Republic. The defendants — various members of the Lobkowicz family and their Massachusetts business entities — argued that the courts of the Czech Republic were the appropriate venue, since the assets at issue are located there. Justice Squires-Lee rejected that argument outright. She emphasized that the agreements central to the case, including the 1991 Family Agreement and 1992 Partnership Agreement, were drafted, negotiated, and executed in Massachusetts by Boston law firms and Massachusetts-based signatories. The judge also found that most defendants reside in or near the Commonwealth, many relevant witnesses and corporate records are in Massachusetts, and the dispute primarily concerns U.S. citizens and entities.
In other words: this is a Massachusetts case. And the court will apply Massachusetts law.
What Survived Dismissal
The ruling leaves intact Stefanoni’s core claims. The court refused to dismiss his causes of action for breach of the Family Agreement, breach of the Partnership Agreement, breach of fiduciary duty, fraud, and declaratory judgment over his rights in the family’s corporate and inheritance structures. Only peripheral issues were dismissed — notably, claims against out-of-state defendants (William, Mark, and Martin M. Lobkowicz) due to lack of jurisdiction and service, and a civil conspiracy count against Andrea Lobkowicz.
For Stefanoni, this means the heart of the case — alleging decades-long mismanagement and concealment of profits from the restored Czech properties — remains alive. The judge concluded he had standing to bring those claims, having inherited the relevant rights from his aunt, the widow of Dominik Lobkowicz. She further found that factual questions about the defendants’ alleged self-dealing, income diversion, and misleading reports must be decided after full discovery.
A Rebuke to the Defense’s “Kitchen Sink” Strategy
Justice Squires-Lee was notably critical of the defendants’ “grapeshot, kitchen sink approach,” observing that their motion was laden with marginal arguments unlikely to succeed at this early procedural stage. By allowing most of Stefanoni’s claims to proceed, the court underscored that defendants cannot escape scrutiny through procedural overreach. The opinion systematically dismantled defense claims that the case should be dismissed on grounds of forum non conveniens, expired limitations periods, or lack of standing. The court found none of those arguments persuasive.
What Comes Next
By denying dismissal of most claims, the court has positioned the case for discovery — and eventual trial — in a Massachusetts forum. Critically, Justice Squires-Lee ordered the addition of L.F.I., LP, the family’s Massachusetts partnership entity, as a necessary party. That means the full partnership’s operations, financial records, and distributions will now come under judicial examination.
This procedural step alone is a major advance for Stefanoni. It ensures that the Massachusetts partnership through which the family’s billion-dollar Czech holdings are controlled must open its books — likely revealing decades of management decisions previously hidden behind family walls.
