People v. Arellano
People v. Arellano
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the court.
Defendant, appellant, was twice convicted of slander; first in the Municipal Court of Manatí and later, on appeal and after a trial de novo, in the District Court of Arecibo, upon a complaint charging the facts as follows:
“That on April 2, 1915, and on Eduardo G-iorgetti Street, of Bar-celoneta, P. B., of the municipal judicial district of Manatí, P. R, the aforesaid defendant wilfully, illegally and publicly uttered the following slanderous words tending to injure the honor, reputation and worthiness of the complainant, to wit: ‘Upon arriving here the district chief of police, in shameless collusion with the exploiters of the workingmen, made a false complaint against me, a frame-up (rancho) to have me go to jail!”
It is urged that the complaint does not charge an offense and that the judgment is contrary to the evidence.
That the facts stated constitute a prima facie offense within the statutory definition thereof, seems too clear for argument.
The evidence was twice heard and weighed by two different trial judges with the same result. The testimony for the prosecution, if true, leaves no room for doubt as to the guilt of the accused. If the witnesses for the defense are trustworthy it is equally clear that the defendant did not
Affirmed.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.