Case Summary (G.R. No. 145284)
Legal Proceedings
The petitioner, Rosita David, initiated a petition for the settlement of Andrew David's estate in the Regional Trial Court, where she sought to be appointed as special administratrix. A separate complaint was filed by Rosita against Teodora David, Andrew's wife, and the Navarro Spouses to annul a deed of conditional sale concerning the property in question. The trial court ruled in favor of the petitioner, declaring the sale null and void and ordering Teodora to pay attorney's fees and court costs.
Court of Appeals Involvement
The decision in Civil Case No. 23351, which annulled the deed of conditional sale, was subsequently appealed to the Court of Appeals by Teodora and the Navarro Spouses. While the appeal was pending, Rosita filed a complaint for unlawful detainer against the Navarro Spouses, leading to a judgment favoring her and an issuance of a writ of execution for their eviction.
Enforcement of Judgment
The writ issued by the Metropolitan Trial Court mandated the Navarro Spouses to vacate the property. However, the Spouses subsequently filed a petition for certiorari with the RTC to nullify this writ, claiming their appeal had been perfected, and sought a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) from the Court of Appeals to halt the enforcement of the writ. This motion was granted, leading to a series of legal complications regarding the enforcement of the eviction order.
Allegations of Illegal Detention
On March 15, 1999, following the implementation of the writ, the Navarro Spouses and others filed affidavits accusing the petitioner and her counsel of robbery and illegal detention of their property. This notion was substantiated by police intervention that later resulted in a finding of probable cause for serious illegal detention against two security guards involved in the eviction.
Outcomes in Court
The Court of Appeals denied the petitioner's motions to dismiss the appeals filed by the Navarro Spouses and granted a preliminary injunction against further enforcement of the eviction order. Subsequently, the RTC found the eviction from Civil Case No. 20064 premature and set aside the decision on procedural grounds.
Issues on Appeal
The petitioner contested the Court of Appeals' rulings on grounds of forum shopping and failure to comply with procedural rules for dismissing appeals. She argued that the respondents were attempting to gain injunctive relief after failing to secure it in their earlier petition to the RTC, thereby constituting forum shopping.
Final Ruling
The Supreme Court ultimately dismissed the petitioner's appeal, affirming the positions held by the Court of Appeals. Th
...continue readingCase Syllabus (G.R. No. 145284)
Case Background
- The case revolves around a petition for certiorari, prohibition, mandamus, and injunction filed by Rosita David against the Spouses Rod and Cynthia Navarro and the Court of Appeals.
- The petition seeks to annul the March 15, 2000 Resolution of the Court of Appeals, which issued a writ of preliminary injunction and subsequently denied the motion for reconsideration on August 25, 2000.
- Rosita David aims to:
- Prohibit the Court of Appeals from deciding the case on its merits.
- Compel the Court of Appeals to dismiss the case.
- Order the Navarro Spouses to vacate a property located at No. 1164 E. Rodriguez, Sr. Avenue, Quezon City.
Antecedents
- Andrew David was engaged in the business of buying and selling used cars and owned several assets including a savings account and a life insurance policy.
- He was shot and killed on May 5, 1994, leaving behind a wife, Teodora David, and his mother, Rosita David.
- Teodora was a suspect in Andrew's death, leading Rosita to file a petition for the settlement of Andrew's estate in the Regional Trial Court (RTC).
- Teodora opposed Rosita’s petition and sold some of Andrew's personal properties without Rosita's consent.
Legal Proceedings
- Teodora and Rosita sought joint authority to withdraw funds from Andrew's savings account and to sell property covered by TCT No. 14793.
- The RTC allowed them to proceed with the withdrawal and sale on October 20, 1994.
- Teodora sold the property to the Navarro Spouses for P4,500,000.00 without Rosita's agreement, who had her own prospective buyer for the same amount.
- Rosita filed an affidavit of advers