Bolker v. Superior Court

82 P.R. 785
CourtSupreme Court of Puerto Rico
DecidedMay 31, 1961
DocketNo. 2280
StatusPublished

This text of 82 P.R. 785 (Bolker v. Superior Court) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Puerto Rico primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bolker v. Superior Court, 82 P.R. 785 (prsupreme 1961).

Opinion

Mr. Justice Blanco Lugo

delivered the opinion of the Court.

Manuel Sosa Gil died on February 23, 1897 and was succeeded by his six legitimate children as testamentary heirs, to wit: José Encarnación, Valentina, Domingo, José, Leocadio, and Pedro Sosa Cruz, and by his grandchildren, Marcelina, Julio, Pedro, and Emilia Sosa, and Maria Antonia, Domingo, Francisca, Concepción, and Inés Araújo Sosa, in representation of his predeceased son and daughter Fernando and Emilia Sosa Cruz.

[787]*787The present complaint, on revendication of real property, nullity of deeds, and compensation for damages, was filed by several grandsons and granddaughters of Manuel Sosa Gil, named Manuel, Eusebio, Georgina, Pedro, Francisca, Agri-pina, Amparo, and Eladio Sosa Rodriguez,1 Evangelista Sosa González,2 María Antonia Sosa Pérez,3 Luis Medero Sosa,4 and Francisco and José Sosa Rodriguez.5 Victoria Bolker or Walker and her daughter Manuela Bolker or Walker Veláz-quez,6 were included as defendants.

The main purpose of the action is the revendication of a property known as Estancia Canovanillas 7 which appears recorded in the Registry of Property of Río Piedras in favor of petitioner Victoria Bolker, and for that purpose the following is substantially alleged: that on February 24, 1895 Manuel Sosa Gil borrowed the sum of 2,000 dollars from José Ignacio Arzuaga, and as a security for said amount conveyed the above-mentioned property by a deed of sale; that thereafter, Sosa paid said sum to Arzuaga, it being agreed between them that the sale would be left without effect, and Arzuaga binding himself to execute the corresponding conveyance deed in favor of Sosa; that although Arzuaga recognized this obligation in the open will which he executed on May 24,1895 before Notary Leandro Lara Tomé, Pedro Arzuaga, as José Ignacio Arzuaga’s attorney-in-fact and Francisco Yeregui conspired to deprive the heirs of Manuel Sosa Gil of the above-mentioned property, and to that effect, Pedro Arzuaga, in his [788]*788afore-mentioned representative capacity, appeared in order to sell the above-mentioned property to Yeregui; that thereafter Yeregui donated the property to defendant Victoria Bolker, his cook, with whom he had had several children; that this last transaction appeared to have been made for a consideration of $10,000 which the vendor acknowledged having received prior to the execution of the deed, but that actually said transaction was simulated because no price whatsoever was involved; that when Manuel Sosa Gil died, his executor Francisco Yeregui divided the property left by the deceased, omitting in the inventory the estate Canovanillas and stated that he had no other properties, although he knew, because of his relation with Sosa and José Ignacio Arzuaga, that Sosa was the owner of said property; that “according to plaintiffs’ best information and belief,” Yeregui informed defendant Victoria Bolker of the illegal manner in which he had acquired said property and warned her that the real owners would file suits claiming the title, and he advised her never to sell the same; that under these circumstances said defendant has never possessed the property in question as owner “not only because she had not paid any sum whatsoever for it but also because of Yeregui’s warning when conveying the property to her”; that the conveyance made in favor of Victoria Bolker was executed in order to allege that the latter was a third party protected by law and thus prevent plaintiffs’ claims, and that “according to plaintiffs’ best information and belief,” defendant Victoria Bolker had expressly recognized during the entire period she has been in the material possession of the property, the right of its real owners, that is, of the heirs of Manuel Sosa [789]*789y Gil, and has equally admitted that she is estopped from selling said property because its original title is void.

“Since a genuine controversy of facts does not exist,” defendants Victoria and Manuela Bolker requested that a summary judgment be rendered dismissing the complaint on the following grounds:

1. The action of revendication sought to be filed is barred pursuant to the provisions of § 1863 of the Civil Code (31 L.P.R.A. § 5293) because more than thirty (30) years elapsed since plaintiffs’ ancestor alienated the title, possession and ownership of the property involved in the action.

2. Defendant Victoria Bolker has acquired the property referred to in the suit by extraordinary acquisitive prescription.

3. The subsidiary action brought for damages is barred pursuant to the provisions of § 1864 of the Civil Code (31 L.P.R.A. § 5294).

4. Plaintiffs are estopped from prosecuting the action at bar because it is res judicata between the parties by virtue of the judgments rendered by the former District Court of San Juan in civil cases Nos. 427, 1334, and 3337.

5. Said defendants are third-party mortgagees protected by the provisions of §§ 27 and 34 of the Mortgage Law (30 L.P.R.A. §§52 and 59). Certificates issued by the Registry of Property of Río Piedras of the record sheet of the property and by the Office of the Clerk of the Superior Court, San Juan Part, containing a literal copy of the three judgments which are invoked for the purpose of the defense of res judicata, and of a sworn statement of defendant Victoria Bolker, are attached to the motion.

On November 29,1955 the Superior Court, San Juan Part, rendered judgment setting aside the summary judgment since “from the opposition . . . there arises that a genuine controversy of facts exists in this case which should be diluci-dated in a plenary suit. . . Subsequently, and after a motion for reconsideration was filed by defendant party, the court rendered judgment dismissing the complaint “due to the extinctive prescription of the action.” On May 4, 1956 the court once more reconsidered and rendered judgment denying a motion for summary judgment because the [790]*790latter believed to be bound by a statement contained in the concurring opinion rendered in Flores v. Rodríguez, 77 P.R.R. 682 (1954) to the effect that an action of revendí-cation is not barred. To review the above-mentioned decision we issued a writ of certiorari.

From our study of the motion for summary judgment and the evidence attached thereto, as well as of the motion of opposition and the evidence adduced by the plaintiff, we must set aside the decision rendered by the Superior Court and instead render judgment dismissing the complaint on the ground that the plea of res judicata8 filed by defendants lies. We find it unnecessary in view of our conclusion to discuss the other grounds raised by defendant.

The defense of res judicata was not predicated exclusively on the pleadings, but rather the defendant petitioner attached to her motion a certificate from the Office of the Clerk of the Superior Court, San Juan Part, wherein the judgments rendered in cases Nos. 427, 1334, and 3337 of the former District Court of San Juan were literally transcribed and also set forth that it was based, among other things, on the record of said cases kept in the files of this Court.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

McFadden v. McFadden
357 P.2d 751 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1960)
The Phoenix Ins. Co. v. Haney
108 So. 2d 227 (Mississippi Supreme Court, 1959)
California Company v. Price
99 So. 2d 743 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1958)
Gelb v. Mazzeo
5 A.D.2d 10 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1957)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
82 P.R. 785, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bolker-v-superior-court-prsupreme-1961.