A New York judge has ordered billionaire art dealer David Nahmad to return a disputed Modigliani painting within 30 days. The Seated Man With a Cane (1918), estimated at over $25 million, was originally seized by the Nazis and belonged to Jewish art dealer Oscar Stettiner before it ended up in Nahmad’s possession.

The legal saga has been ongoing for 11 years. Nahmad’s family argue that the painting's provenance is unclear, but the court rejected these claims, ruling that the work was illegally taken during the Nazi occupation and transferred to the current owner.

Nahmads have filed an appeal, citing two eyewitnesses to dispute Stettiner's ownership, and claiming that the painting belongs to a separate offshore entity. However, these claims were debunked by recent Panama Papers revelations linking Nahmad’s family directly to the company in question.

While Nahmad’s lawyers argue that this ruling has been made without key witnesses, the court’s decision is final for now. Maestracci’s lawyer believes an appeal could delay restitution by five years and stated: ‘All an appeal may do is further delay restitution to the Holocaust victim's heir.’