Colón v. Superior Court of Puerto Rico

97 P.R. 103
CourtSupreme Court of Puerto Rico
DecidedMarch 27, 1969
DocketNos. 0-68-306, 0-68-307
StatusPublished

This text of 97 P.R. 103 (Colón v. Superior Court of Puerto Rico) 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
Colón v. Superior Court of Puerto Rico, 97 P.R. 103 (prsupreme 1969).

Opinion

Mr. Justice Santana Becerra

delivered the opinion of the Court.

At the request of Maritza Colón, mother with patria po-testas, in representation of her minor children Belencita, Maritza, and Antonio Ayuso Colón, we issued writ of certio-rari No. 0-68-306 to review a judgment of the Superior Court, San Juan Part, Plinio Pérez Marrero, Judge, by which the court refused to continue with the proceedings in Civil Case R.F. 68-1922 of said Part, on the Declaration of Incapacity and the Appointment of Tutor.

At the request of the same petitioners we issued the present writ of certiorari, No. 0-68-307, to review the judgment of the Superior Court, Caguas Part, José A. Villares Rodrí-guez, Judge, by virtue of which it decreed the incapacity of Mr. Antonio Ayuso Valdivieso to govern himself and to administer his property, and appointed his wife, Iris Mieres Ayuso, tutrix of the incapacitated person. In view of the questions raised in these appeals a recital of the proceedings in the Superior Court is necessary.

On July 15, 1968, Maritza Colón, mother with patria po-testas in representation of her minor children Belencita, Maritza, and Antonio Ayuso Colón, filed a petition in the Superior Court, San Juan Part, Case R.P. 68-1922, requesting the declaration of incapacity of Mr. Antonio Ayuso Valdi-vieso, and the appointment of his sister of full blood, Juanita Ayuso Valdivieso as his tutrix. In addition to the allegations concerning Mr. Ayuso’s state of health, it was alleged that the minor-petitioners are his grandchildren, the children of his deceased son, Antonio Ayuso Molinari; that Mr. Ayuso is married to Iris Mieres, their son Antonio Ayuso Mieres being the only offspring of said marriage; that Mr. Antonio [106]*106Ayuso Valdivieso is the owner of considerable property and enterprises which are largely separate property, although also partly conjugal property acquired during his marriage to Iris Mieres. The fifth allegation of the petition reads as follows:

“Petitioners likewise allege that the present wife of Antonio Ayuso Valdivieso, Iris Mieres Ayuso, has opposing interests in conflict with the aforementioned Antonio Ayuso Valdivieso and with petitioners in their'capacity as forced heirs of Antonio Ayuso Valdivieso; petitioners likewise allege that their rights as such forced heirs are in conflict with those of the only other forced heir of the said Antonio Ayuso Valdivieso, his son the aforementioned Antonio Ayuso Mieres, who is a' minor; and that Antonio Ayuso Valdivieso does not have any other children of legal age, father, mother, or grandparents, since all the latter are dead.”

It was also alleged that Iris Mieres, having knowledge of the state of physical and mental incapacity of her husband and being authorized by law to file the petition of incapacity) had not taken any action whatsoever in that sense and she herself had undertaken the administration of the property; and that there existed the opposing and conflicting interests alleged in the fifth paragraph copied ábove, the appointment of the wife, Mrs. Mieres, as Mr. Ayuso’s tutrix was not proper, and it was proper to appoint Juanita Ayuso Valdivieso, his sister, in such capacity.

On July 18, 1968, the foregoing petition for declaration of incapacity and appointment of tutor was notified to Mr. Antonio Ayuso Valdivieso, to his wife Iris Mieres Ayuso, and to the prosecuting attorney of the Superior Court, San Juan Part.

On July 24 Mr. Antonio Ayuso and his wife Iris Mieres appeared represented by attorneys Mr. Luis R. Polo, Mr. Jorge Luis Córdova Díaz, and Mr. Adolfo Mieres Calimano, and filed a motion of opposition to the aforementioned petition. They accepted the existence of considerable property [107]*107but they alleged it . was mainly conjugal property, belonging to the present marriage; they rejected .the fifth paragraph copied above except as to the reference to .the nonexistence of other ascendants or descendants of Mr.. Ayuso, and rejected the other allegations in relation to.the conflict of interest bet-tween the minor-petitioners and the wife* Iris Mieres, in relation to the appointment of tutor.

The court set the hearing, of the case for September 5, 1968. On August 5, 1968 the minor-petitioners appeared by motion requesting the court to order that Mr. Antonio Ayuso Valdivieso be submitted to a medico-psychiatric examination before a panel- of three psychiatrists designated by the court. The hearing to :argue the motion was set for August 30,1968. From the minutes of. said day (there is no stenographic transcript of said hearing) it appears that at the hearing already .set for September 5, the expert psychiatrists brought by .respondent would be heard, and in the event the insufficiency of -the evidence were determined, another hearing would be set to hear other experts. -

. On September 6, 1968 the hearing was held with. the. appearance of the prosecuting attorney. The stenographic record of the same shows that the court heard the extensive testimony of psychiatrist Dr. Manuel Rodríguez Pérez-, brought by respondents themselves.. The .physician’s testis-■mony .tended to show that Ayuso was. incapacitated- to govern his person and administer his property, and his attorney,. Mr. Córdova Diaz, stated that the evidence was sufficient to declare him incapacitated. When the minor-petitioners insisted that Mr. Ayuso be examined by other psychiatrists, the court ordered so, and Dr. Rafael Padró was designated for that purpose. The order was to the effect that the parties would communicate with Dr. Padró so that the latter perform the pertinent examinations and inform the court when they were ready for another hearing. On October 28, 1968, the court, on its' own initiative, set the hearing of the [108]*108case for the next November 21. Up to here, the first stage of the proceedings in the San Juan Part.

On October 30, 1968 Iris Mieres Ayuso appeared in the Superior Court, Caguas Part, represented by Mr. Arnaldo Sánchez Recio, civil case CS-68-7576, requesting the Declaration of Incapacity and Appointment of Tutor. In addition to the allegations on the mental condition of her husband, Mr. Antonio Ayuso, the existence of properties specified in an inventory attached to the petition, and his incapacity to govern himself and to administer his property, petitioner alleged having married Antonio Ayuso on May 25, 1946 by which marriage they begot only one son, Antonio Avelino Ayuso Mieres, 19 years old; that due to the mental condition of Mr. Ayuso the appointment of a tutor was proper; that petitioner was not covered by any of the disqualifications for tutorship prescribed by law, and that she was the first in turn, entitled to assume the duties. She prayed for the declaration of incapacity of her husband and that she be appointed tutrix. On October 30, 1968 the petition was notified to Mr. Antonio Ayuso Valdivieso and the prosecuting attorney of the Superior Court, Caguas Part.

On said day, with the appearance of the prosecuting attorney, the Superior Court, Caguas Part, heard the parties. Petitioner offered the testimony of psychiatrists Dr. Manuel Rodríguez Pérez and Dr. Arturo Flores Gallardo on the mental condition of Mr. Ayuso. Antonio Ayuso himself testified in favor of the petition and in favor of the appointment of his wife, Iris Mieres, as his tutrix. (Tr. Ev. 30-36.)

On November 1, 1968 the Caguas Part entered an order declaring Antonio Ayuso Valdivieso incapable of governing himself and of administering his property.

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