Calero v. Municipal Assembly
Calero v. Municipal Assembly
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the court.
Ramón Calero and Serafín Alfaro petitioned the district court of Aguadilla for a writ of certiorari addressed to the municipal assembly of Isabela. The writ was issued and finally discharged by the district court, whereupon Calero- and Alfaro appealed to this court.
It appears 'from the petition that the petitioners were elected members of the municipal assembly of Isabela in the
The first was decided against the petitioners during the pendency of this appeal. The district court had ruled that they had been removed illegally and this Supreme Court decided that the judgment appealed from should be reversed and substituted by another declaring that the petition in certiorari was not sufficient and therefore the writ should be discharged, without special imposition of costs. Alfaro v. Municipal Assembly, 35 P.R.R. 721.
Under these circumstances, as the first resolution of the assembly declaring' the offices of the petitioners vacant was sustained, why is it necessary to investigate and determine’ whether or not the second resolution deciding the same thing for ulterior reasons is well founded?
In our opinion the only answer is that it is not necessary.
Now, although the question to be decided on its merits is academic, there is ag’ainst the appellants a pronouncement of costs and disbursements, including attorney’s fees, that requires at least an examination of the merits for the purpose of ascertaining whether1 or not there was temerity on their part in instituting their second proceeding.
They had been successful, the judgment was appealed! from and they believed that the appeal stayed the effects of the judgment and did not insist on returning to the assembly,
Therefore, the judgment is in fact affirmed, but without the pronouncement of costs. Said pronouncement shall be worded as follows: “Without special imposition of costs.”
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.