Municipality of Ponce v. Succession of Gely
Municipality of Ponce v. Succession of Gely
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the court.
The Municipality of Ponce, represented by its mayor, brought an action against the Succession of José Gely praying for the adoption of certain measures referring to a house which was repaired without the permission of the plaintiff. The complaint is divided into two parts, one of which is entitled “Question of Public Safety” and the other “Question of Architecture.”
Under the former it is alleged in substance that the defendant is the owner of a house situated at the corner of De-getau Square and Amor Street in Ponce; that the house consists of two stories, the lower one being of masonry and
As to the ‘ ‘ Question of Architecture, ” it is alleged literally as follows: “15. That later, or on December 15,1915, Gispert, acting as attorney in fact and agent of the defendant succession, wilfully and maliciously disregarding the municipal ordinances in force and without asking for or obtaining a permit, proceeded at about 5 p. m. of December 15 to tear down the balconies of the said building, employing for said work ten or more carpenters under the direction of one Jacob Tur; that after the demolition of the balconies of said building the said Gispert then and there proceeded, employing the said carpenters under the direction of said Tur, to make repairs to the exterior of said building, they having worked all night in reconstructing a part of the balcony, repairing another part, putting in new sills and, in short, making important repairs without the authorization of the municipality, in violation of the municipal ordinances and not in harmony with the architecture of the city.”
The complaint concludes with a prayer for judgment as follows: (1) That in the interest of public embellishment said succession demolish all that part of the house which was repaired in violation of the same and of the municipal ordinances in force; (2) that if the said defendant succession, after tearing down what had been reconstructed unlawfully,
The defendant filed a demurrer alleging that neither the municipality of Ponce nor its mayor was legally capacitated to bring this action, and that the complaint did not state facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action. After hearing the parties the district court rendered judgment on April 15, 1916, sustaining the demurrer on both grounds and dismissing the complaint without special imposition of costs. From that judgment the plaintiff took the present appeal.
As to'the “Question of Public. Safety,” the Distinct Court of Ponce, in a reasoned opinion, held that the only entity now capacitated in this island to bring an action at law ror the abatement of a common nuisance is the People of Porto Rico by its district attorneys, and that this being the case, neither the Municipality nor the Mayor of .Ponce had the necessary legal capacity to bring this action.
It is not necessary to decide that question in this case, for, as was also held by the trial court, the allegations of the plaintiff under the heading of “Question of Architecture” show that the dilapidated part of the- building had been repaired when the complaint was filed.
Therefore this is not a case of a dilapidated structure. The real question is whether, after a building has been repaired
In the case of Municipality of Ponce v. Solís, ante, p. 117, this court, interpreting a certain section of the same ordinance now relied on by the Municipality of Ponce, laid down the following doctrine:
“When a municipal ordinance provides that a structure erected without a permit, or in almse or violation thereof, shall be demolished at the cost of the owner if it be of a class whose construction could not be aiithorized or whose existence or alteration should not be allowed, it is not sufficient to show that the structure was erected without complying with the requirements of said ordinances; but it must also be ’proved that the construction could not ho authorized or that it is of a class which should not he allowed to stand.”
Let us examine the allegations of the complaint in the light of the foregoing doctrine.
The proviso of section 36 of the ordinance reproduced herein expressly provides “that in no case shall it be allowed that any repairs be made to • the frame buildings existing in Delicias Square and Federico Degetau Square, nor shall any 3-epairs he allowed to be made to the buildings of masonry and wood without first making their facades conform to those of the recently constructed buildings and the style required by the importance of said squares.”
The building in question in this action faces on Degetan Square and is built of masonry and wood. Therefore, according to the ordinances, no repairs of any kind can be made thereto without first making its facade conform to the recently constivicted buildings aiid the style required by the importance of said square.
Notwitlistanding.tlie length of the complaint, which covers thirteen pages of the record, it does not state whether the facade of the defendant’s house was made to conform to the recently constructed buildings or in what respect the repairs
We have copied literally the plaintiff’s allegations regarding, the “Question of Architecture” and, as may be seen, they contain only the conclusion'that the repairs were made “in violation of the municipal ordinances and are not in harmony with the style of the city. ’ ’ Such a conclusion would not justify the court in holding that sufficient facts are alleged to determine the necessity of a judgment ordering the demolition of the work done.
In its brief the appellee insists that this court should hold that .the municipal ordinance of Ponce is unconstitutional. Only when both justice and necessity so inquire should the courts hold that a law is unconstitutional. Moreover, and in so far as refers to the nature of the ordinances discussed in this case, we will say that it cannot be denied that the development and embellishment of modern cities require that municipalities shall have wide powers for adopting and enforcing measures to that end regardless of how radical they may seem at first sight; always provided, of course, that they do not unjustly oppress the citizens or deprive them of their property without due process of law.
Affirmed.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.