Díaz Torres v. Morales

71 P.R. 648
CourtSupreme Court of Puerto Rico
DecidedJune 23, 1950
DocketNo. 10157
StatusPublished

This text of 71 P.R. 648 (Díaz Torres v. Morales) 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
Díaz Torres v. Morales, 71 P.R. 648 (prsupreme 1950).

Opinion

Per Curiam:

On August 23, 1948 plaintiff brought an action of unlawful detainer against the defendant alleging, in brief, that she owned a two-story house, with garage— described in the complaint — in the Municipality of Caguas, which was acquired on January 21, 1948 by deed of the same date before Notary Antonio L. López, which deed was recorded in the registry of property; that the defendant occupied the upper floor of said house, with the garage, for a monthly rental of $30 pursuant to a lease contract entered into with the previous owner of the property; that the plaintiff acquired the aforesaid real property exclusively in order to utilize it in good faith and for immediate occupancy by herself and her family as their dwelling; that the same day of the acquisition she advised the defendant by letter of her need to occupy the house as her dwelling, having reiterated such purpose by reg[649]*649istered letters with return receipts requested which were mailed to the defendant on March 9, April 13, and June 19, 1948; that the lease contract with the previous owner was not ratified in any way whatsoever by the plaintiff and that, in spite of the latter’s requests, the defendant refused to vacate the upper floor of said house, his occupancy being unlawful since no title or contract justified such occupancy.

The defendant answered accepting certain paragraphs of the complaint in full and others in part. He specifically denied that the lease contract with the previous owner had not been ratified by the plaintiff, alleging on the contrary that plaintiff had entered into a lease contract with him when the former took possession of the property purchased; that a monthly rental of $30 was agreed to, payable on the last day of each month, said payments beginning on January 1948, which latter payment was made by the defendant at the end of that month and thereafter at the end of February and March of said year; that the plaintiff, through her lawyer, terminated said lease contract by registered letter of April 13, 1948; that, however, the defendant continued to páy the rentals corresponding to the months from April to November as they became due. He denied plaintiff’s allegation that she acquired the real property described in the complaint exclusively in order to utilize it in good faith and for occupancy by herself and her family as their dwelling, alleging on the contrary that the property consisted of three dwellings, including defendant’s; that the plaintiff wished to recover possession of said dwelling in bad faith, for she had filed in the same court three unlawful detainer complaints alleging the same cause of action, one against Conchita Gutiérrez de Sé-cola, another against Críspulo Díaz and still another against Armando Marcial. He likewise alleged that Conchita Gutié-rrez de Sécola vacated her dwelling, which was at the disposal of the plaintiff for her personal use as a dwelling together with her family. After having acknowledged receipt of the letters listed in the complaint, he denied that the letters of [650]*650March 9, April 13, and June 19,1948, were intended to reiterate plaintiff’s intention to recover the property, and specifically alleged that he was occupying the upper floor of the house by virtue of certain acts of the plaintiff herself, who, upon terminating the lease contract on April 13 through her attorney, granted him 60 days to vacate, which period was later extended to 180, to become due on July 19, 1948; that he was not a tenant at sufferance, since he had. paid as rent the monthly rentals from January to November of that year.

As a special defense he alleged that the lower court lacked jurisdiction, since when the plaintiff renewed the lease contract existing with the previous owner for a monthly rental of $30 and accepted in payment' as rent the rentals corresponding to January, and so forth, she ratified said previous contract, which the plaintiff terminated on March 9, not being therefore a tenant at sufferance but a lessee, wherefore jurisdiction to commence the action was in the municipal court.

After a trial on the merits, the complaint was granted.

In settling the jurisdictional question raised by the defendant, the lower court stated:

“Inasmuch as a question of law has been raised to the effect that the court lacks jurisdiction because the lease contract which the defendant alleges exists between him and the plaintiff involves a monthly rental of $30 for which reason it would not exceed $1,000 annually, it is imperative that we decide this question of law according to the evidence introduced herein. Only such evidence will enable us to determine whether or not such contract existed.
“The documentary, as well as the oral evidence introduced by the parties, discloses the following facts:
“1. That the plaintiff purchased the property, on the second floor of which defendant lives, from Juan S. Marcano and Mon-serrate Polo, on January 21, 1948, pursuant to deed No. 27 executed before Notary Antonio L. López.
“2. That the defendant lived on the second story of said house pursuant to a contract entered into between him and the previous owner, Juan S. Marcano, and for a monthly rental of $30.
[651]*651“3. That on that same January 21, 1948 the plaintiff, personally and by registered mail, addressed a letter to the defendant, Silverio Morales, notifying him that she had purchased the house where he lived in the second floor, in order to occupy same personally. In this same letter the defendant was advised that he was expected to vacate the premises not later than February 10, 1948, leaving the apartment at. plaintiff’s disposal.
“4. That on March 9, April 13 arid July IS, 1948, the plaintiff, through her attorney, again addressed the defendant on three different occasions requesting him to vacate the premises he occupied in her propérty and giving him time as' provided by the law in force on the dates of each and every letter.
“5. That the defendant tendered to the plaintiff payments of $30 by checks corresponding to the months from February to August 1948.
“The defendant alleges that plaintiff’s acceptance of the payment of $30 monthly, which is the amount of the rental involved in the contract between the latter and the previous owner, is equivalent to a ratification of the contract by the plaintiff. He also alleges that the attorney himself mentions in his letters a contract between the plaintiff and the defendant. •
“On her part, plaintiff insists that from the beginning she made clear her intention not to ratify the contract between the defendant and the previous owner and that if she accepted said money from the defendant for the aforesaid months it was as compensation for the use given by the defendant to her property while she was compelled,, by'prescription of law,., to wait for several terms to expire before filing her complaint. The oral testimony of both parties tends to support their respective viewpoints.
“It seems clear to the court that ever since the first day on which she acquired the house, and by registered letter addressed to the defendant, plaintiff made clear her intention to have the defendant vacate his living quarters and to leave the same at plaintiff’s disposal by February 10, 1948.

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Bluebook (online)
71 P.R. 648, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/diaz-torres-v-morales-prsupreme-1950.