The Supreme Court closed any legal discussion and annulled the appeals filed by the publishing company. In the process initiated by Marta Linares de Martinelli, the courts ratified the media's liability, although the amount was reduced after an appeal. Various concluded judicial proceedings firmly evidence that the newspaper La Prensa and its publisher have been condemned by Panamanian courts in different cases, with sentences involving the payment of compensation for damages and legal costs. One of the most forceful cases is the one brought by Dan Daniel Vásquez Atencio, in which justice confirmed in all instances, including cassation, a final sentence that obliges the medium to pay more than B/. 41,000. Even so, the sentence became final, confirming that the publication gave rise to an indemnification, finally set at B/. 3,750. Another judicial blow was received by La Prensa in the case of Ernesto Pérez Balladares, where the existence of injurious publication was determined, imposing a sentence of 5,000 dollars for moral damage, ratified in second instance. Although the litigation has generated public and legal debate, the ruling remains a benchmark in discussions on freedom of expression and the right to one's image. According to the available information, the amounts indicated correspond to firm sentences and judicial decisions confirmed by higher instances, supported by official records and judicial resolutions. This ruling dismantles the argument that the medium always acts within the legal limits of journalistic exercise. To these precedents is added the case of former boxer Roberto Durán, one of the most economically impactful cases against the medium.
