Case Digest (G.R. No. 247844)
Facts:
The case involves petitioners Norma M. Baleares and the heirs of Santos Baleares against respondents Felipe B. Espanto, the heirs of Arnold V. Maranan, the Register of Deeds of Makati, and the City Assessor of Makati. The events leading to this case began in 1988 when the Baleares siblings mortgaged a parcel of land, covered by Transfer Certificate of Title (TCT) No. RT-57 (9482), to Arnold V. Maranan. This mortgage was registered and annotated on the title. In June 1998, the petitioners filed a complaint in the Regional Trial Court (RTC) of Makati City to cancel the mortgage entry, arguing that Maranan failed to enforce his mortgage rights within the 10-year prescriptive period. Meanwhile, Arnold foreclosed on the mortgage and sold the property to Felipe Espanto after consolidating the title in his name in 2008. The petitioners subsequently filed a complaint for annulment of title and related documents against Arnold and Felipe in 2015, which wa...
Case Digest (G.R. No. 247844)
Facts:
- Background of the Property: The case involves a parcel of land covered by Transfer Certificate of Title (TCT) No. RT-57 (9482), registered in the name of Santos Baleares, his siblings, and his nephew as co-owners.
- Mortgage and Foreclosure: In 1988, the Baleares siblings mortgaged the property to Arnold V. Maranan. Arnold failed to enforce his mortgage rights within the 10-year prescriptive period, leading petitioners to file a complaint in 1998 to cancel the mortgage annotation on the title.
- RTC and CA Decisions: The Regional Trial Court (RTC) ruled in favor of petitioners, declaring the mortgage and foreclosure void due to prescription and non-compliance with legal requirements. This decision was affirmed by the Court of Appeals (CA) and became final in 2008.
- Subsequent Transactions: Despite the final judgment, Arnold consolidated the title and sold the property to Felipe Espanto, who initiated ejectment proceedings against petitioners.
- First Case for Nullification: Petitioners filed a case to nullify the foreclosure and subsequent transactions, but the case was dismissed for failure to attend pre-trial hearings.
- Present Case: Petitioners filed another case for annulment of title and related documents, which was dismissed by the RTC on the ground of res judicata, as the issues were identical to the previously dismissed case.
Issue:
- Whether the Court of Appeals erred in dismissing the appeal for lack of jurisdiction.
- Whether the filing of the Present Case is barred by the prior dismissal of the First Case based on res judicata.
- Whether the petition should be given due course in the interest of substantial justice.
Ruling:
- (Subscriber-Only)
Ratio:
- (Subscriber-Only)