Hernandez v. Tribunal Supremo De Puerto Rico

385 F. Supp. 130, 1974 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8164
CourtDistrict Court, D. Puerto Rico
DecidedJune 10, 1974
DocketCiv. No. 74-308
StatusPublished

This text of 385 F. Supp. 130 (Hernandez v. Tribunal Supremo De Puerto Rico) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Puerto Rico primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hernandez v. Tribunal Supremo De Puerto Rico, 385 F. Supp. 130, 1974 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8164 (prd 1974).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

TOLEDO, Chief Judge.

This is a civil action in which petitioner alleges that even though the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico, respondent herein, performed its duties in a responsible way, by taking disciplinary action against him for violating Section 926 of Title 4, Laws of Puerto Rico Annotated, his civil rights were jeopardized in that he was punished twice for the same offense, was deprived of due process and of his right for a hearing.

Petitioner further attacks the constitutionality of Section 926, supra, for alleged overbreathness.

On March 19, 1974, the petitioner filed his complaint. On March 21, 1974, the Clerk of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico and the Secretary of Justice of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico were served with copy of the complaint and summons.

On April 4, 1974, the parties were ordered to. appear before this Court on May 16, 1974 to show cause why a three judge court should not be convened in relation to the relief requested in the complaint, and to file memoranda concerning the jurisdiction of the Court. Upon petitioner’s motion of April 18, 1974 for extension of time, the Court set the hearing on the order to show cause for May 28, 1974. On April 30, 1974, petitioner filed a memorandum in support of the complaint.

The facts giving rise to the present case are summarized as follows:

On September 20, 1973, the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico issued an Order in Case Number 662, Re: Delay in filing Notice of Execution of a Power of Attorney, concerning Deed Number 17 of March 24, 1973, whereby even though no disciplinary action was taken against petitioner, as authorized under Title 4, Laws of Puerto Rico Annotated, Section 926, he was warned against subsequent disregarding of its ruling.

On January 10, 1974, the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico issued an Order in Case Number 683, Re: Delay in Filing Notice of Execution of a Power of Attorney concerning Deed Number 20 of April 13, 1973, whereby disciplinary action was taken against petitioner by imposing on him a fine of $25.00 for his repeated non-compliance with Section 926, supra, after being warned against subsequent disregarding of its rulings. Petitioner paid the fine imposed.

Petitioner filed a Motion for Reconsideration alleging that the Order of September 20, 1973, was final and that he was punished twice for the same offense thus being put twice in jeopardy. Said motion was denied by Order of February 14, 1974.

The Sections involved in this case are 922 and 926 of Title 4, Laws of Puerto Rico Annotated.

Section 922 reads as follows:

“Registration of deeds concerning powers of attorney.
It shall be the duty of every notary, before whom a deed to constitute, modify, extend, substitute, renounce, revoke, or renew a power of attorney is executed, to send to the Secretary of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico, [132]*132within the seventy-two hours following the execution thereof, a notice certified under his seal, setting forth therein the name or names of the grantor or grantors and of the witnesses, and the date, number and nature of the deed, specifying the person to whom the power of attorney is granted, extended, modified, or revoked; in case of substitution of the power of attorney, the name of the person substituted and of the attorney-in-fact shall be stated in said notice, and in cases of renunciation of the power of attorney, the name of the constituent thereof shall be given; Provided, That it shall be the duty of the Secretary of the Supreme Court to acknowledge to the notaries the receipt of the said notice and to proceed immediately after the receipt thereof to make the corresponding entry in the register prescribed in section 924 of this title — May 8, 1937, No. 62, p. 185, § 3; May 3, 1954, No. 25, p. 166, eff. May 3, 1954.”
“Liability of notary for violation. Any notary who, with malice aforethought or through negligence, fails to comply with the provisions of section 922 of this title, shall, apart from any penal liability therefor, be answerable to third parties for damages caused as a consequence of such commission or negligence, and he may be admonished, fined, suspended, or debarred from practice as a notary by the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico. — May 8, 1937, No. 62, p. 185, § 7; May 3, 1954, No. 25, p. 166, eff. May 3, 1954.”

The main issue to be decided by this Court is whether it should exercise its jurisdiction to convene a three judge court to entertain the constitutional attack made by petitioner on Section 926, supra.

The initial inquiry the Court has to make before it decides to convene a three judge court, is whether the complaint complies with the requirements of Section 2281 of Title 28, United States Code.1 Marin v. University of Puerto Rico (D.C.P.R.1972), 346 F.Supp. 470. Other requirements which should be complied in order to convene a three judge court are the following: A state statute or regulation must be challenged; a state officer or local officer performing a state function must be a party defendant; injunctive relief must be sought, and it must be alleged that the statute or regulation violates the Federal Constitution. See Gilhool v. Chairman (D.C.Pa.1969), 306 F.Supp. 1202.

We are obliged to treat the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico’s statutes or regulations the same as if Puerto Rico were a state for purposes of Section 2281 jurisdiction. Mora v. Mejias (D.C.P.R.1953), 115 F.Supp. 610; Wackenhut Corp. v. Aponte (D.C.P.R.1966), 266 F. Supp. 401; Marin v. University of Puerto Rico, supra; Astol Calero-Toledo v. Pearson Yacht Leasing Co., 416 U.S. 663, 94 S.Ct. 2080, 40 L.Ed.2d 452 (1974). .

The state statute or regulation challenged must be challenged so that a substantial constitutional claim be at issue. Swift & Co. v. Wickham, 382 U.S. 111, 86 S.Ct. 258, 15 L.Ed.2d 194 (1965).

The constitutional question may be unsubstantial either because it obviously has no merit, Ex parte Poresky, 290 U.S. 30, 54 S.Ct. 3, 78 L.Ed. 152 [133]*133(1933) or because prior decisions of the United States Supreme Court - have settled the question. Turner v. Memphis, 369 U.S. 350, 82 S.Ct. 805, 7 L.Ed.2d 762 (1962); Bailey v. Patterson, 369 U.S. 31, 82 S.Ct. 549, 7 L.Ed.2d 512 (1962). In our opinion the constitutional question raised by the petitioner is unsubstantial because it has no merit.

On September 28, 1973, the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico issued an Order (#683), which reads as follows in its dis-positive part:

“In view of the delay in remittance of protocolization of power of attorney sent by the Notary Juan L.

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Related

Ex Parte Poresky
290 U.S. 30 (Supreme Court, 1933)
Samuel Bailey v. Joe T. Patterson
369 U.S. 31 (Supreme Court, 1962)
Turner v. City of Memphis
369 U.S. 350 (Supreme Court, 1962)
Swift & Co. v. Wickham
382 U.S. 111 (Supreme Court, 1965)
Calero-Toledo v. Pearson Yacht Leasing Co.
416 U.S. 663 (Supreme Court, 1974)
Wackenhut Corporation v. Aponte
266 F. Supp. 401 (D. Puerto Rico, 1966)
Gilhool v. Chairman & Com'rs, Philadelphia Co. Bd. of Elec.
306 F. Supp. 1202 (E.D. Pennsylvania, 1970)
Marin Ex Rel. Meléndez v. University of Puerto Rico
346 F. Supp. 470 (D. Puerto Rico, 1972)
Mora v. Mejias
115 F. Supp. 610 (D. Puerto Rico, 1953)

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Bluebook (online)
385 F. Supp. 130, 1974 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8164, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hernandez-v-tribunal-supremo-de-puerto-rico-prd-1974.