Hernández Montero v. Cuevas Viret

88 P.R. 767
CourtSupreme Court of Puerto Rico
DecidedJune 27, 1963
DocketNo. 12732
StatusPublished

This text of 88 P.R. 767 (Hernández Montero v. Cuevas Viret) 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
Hernández Montero v. Cuevas Viret, 88 P.R. 767 (prsupreme 1963).

Opinion

Me. Justice Hernández Matos

delivered the opinion of the Court.

The question for decision in this Court is the constitutionality of the procedure for determining the physical incapacity or disability of a public employee who is a member of the public institution “Association of Employees of the Government of Puerto Rico,” provided by § 20 of Act No. 52 of 1921 (Sess. Laws, p. 374), as it stood at the onset of the disability involved in this appeal.

Let us state the facts in the case at bar which gave rise to the judgment appealed from. On August' 9, 1955, the Acting Chief of the Commonwealth Police applied for the retirement of policeman Félix C. Hernández Montero, appellant herein, by reason of nonoccupational disability. Two days later Hernández filed with the Oifice of Personnel an application for pension for nonoccupational disability. On September 7 of that year he was examined by the physician of the System, Dr. Agustín M. Andino, who recommended a pension for nonoccupational disability and recommended that he be submitted to further medical examination within one year for the purpose of determining whether the disability was permanent.1 On October 2, 1955, he was granted [770]*770the pension provided by Act No. 447 of May 15, 1951 (Sess. Laws, p. 1298), which was increased on July 1, 1957 by Act No. 80 of June 20, 1957 (Sess. Laws, p. 412).

After retiring from the Commonwealth Police he applied to the Association of Employees of the Government of Puerto Rico, of which he was a member, for the physical disability insurance benefits provided by said Association by operation of law. On March 26, 1956, the Association of Employees of the Government of Puerto Rico denied the application on the ground that the medical examination undergone by appellant disclosed that he was not actually incapacitated to discharge the duties of his office.

On December 18, 1957, he applied to the Police Superintendent for reinstatement in the service. The application was referred to the Personnel Board on February 17, 1958. On March 10, 1958, he was re-examined by the physician of the System, Dr. Rafael Coca Mir, who determined that appellant’s disability was of a permanent character, which determination was communicated to him on March 12, 1958.2 [771]*771In view of this medical determination, his reinstatement in the Police was denied; his nonoccupational disability pension continued to be paid to him, and it was decided that since his disability was of a permanent character he need not submit to periodical medical examinations. He did not appeal to the Board of Trustees from this decision of the Director of the Personnel Office who is the Administrator of the Retirement System.

On December 1, 1958, he filed in the Superior Court of Puerto Rico, San Juan Part, a petition for mandamus and collection of money, praying the court to order defendant Antonio Cuevas Viret, Director of the Office of Personnel, to reinstate him in his office of policeman, or, in the alternative, to render judgment against the codefendant Association of Employees for the amount of insurance allegedly owing to him from the date of his retirement to the date of the judgment, and further, to ordér said defendant to continue the periodical payments of such insurance in the future.

Codefendant Association of Employees of the Government of Puerto Rico moved for dismissal of the complaint alleging that it did not state a claim to warrant the granting of a remedy, since it failed to allege (a) that plaintiff was totally and permanently disabled to discharge his office, and (b) “that from the medical evidence of the physicians of defendant Association it appeared that he was totally and permanently disabled to discharge his office, and that, notwithstanding the medical evidence submitted to the Board of Directors of defendant by its physicians, the Board had denied plaintiff's request for payment of the insurance policy which he carried with the appearing party, defendant herein.”

Codefendant Antonio Cuevas Viret, Director of the Office of Personnel, also moved for dismissal alleging that ac[772]*772cording to a certificate submitted by Rafael Serra, Chief of the- Retirement Division of the Office of Personnel, on October 2, 1955, that office granted a nonoccupational disability pension to petitioner therein; and that since his request for reinstatement in the Police service had been denied on the ground that he was permanently disabled and that he had been notified of the decision to that effect on March 12, 1958, he did not take any appeal and did not therefore have any claim against the Office of Personnel.

The foregoing motions for dismissal were granted and the appeal was accordingly dismissed in its entirety.

The trial court based its order granting the motion of Cuevas Viret to dismiss on the following circumstances: (1) the decision of the Personnel Board was favorable to appellant, as prayed for in his request; (2) the latter accepted it as final upon failing to timely move for reconsideration or to take an appeal; (3) the second medical examination performed by the physicians of the System ratified the determination of disability; and (4) the final character of the decision barred review by mandamus proceeding.

The dismissal as to the Association of Employees was based on the result of the report of its physicians which was adverse to appellant, considered in the light of the provisions of § 20 of Act No. 52 of 1921, as amended, and on the doctrine announced in Arzola v. Loan Fund Association, 72 P.R.R. 394 (Snyder) (1951).

The decision appealed from clearly shows that the trial judge, in full compliance with the letter of the law and with our opinions, and for that reason alone, felt that he was bound to dismiss and did dismiss a claim which deep in his conscience he thought was fair, reasonable and worthy. In part of his decision he stated as follows:

“In this case the petitioner has clearly been the victim of a grave injustice resulting from the interpretation of two statutes covering similar aspects .in relation to the rights .of a public [773]*773employee. On the one hand, the Personnel Board tells him that he is permanently disabled to discharge an office in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and, on the other hand, the Association of Employees of the Government of Puerto Rico tells him that he cannot collect insurance because there are no signs or symptoms which incapacitate him totally and permanently for the office which he held in the Government of Puerto Rico.
“Having examined the provisions of § 20 of the Act — 3 L.P.R.A. § 851 — and the decision of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico in the case of Arzola v. Association, supra, there is nothing we can do to prevent this result. The Legislature of Puerto Rico is bound to adopt proper measures for cases similar to that under our consideration. Not until the decision in the case of Arzola is modified or reversed, that case is the law in connection with the application of § 851 supra.”

The questions on appeal raised by the policeman, appellant herein, as stated in his brief, are the following:

“Points discussed:
I.The Arzola case should be reconsidered and overruled.
II.The due process of law has been violated.

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Bluebook (online)
88 P.R. 767, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hernandez-montero-v-cuevas-viret-prsupreme-1963.