Nevares-López v. Nevares Bros.
Nevares-López v. Nevares Bros.
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the court.
The District Court of San Juan on the 27th of September,
The fact of the transfer is not challenged; nor is the right of this court to consider the special fact developed since the trial of the case in the court below.
Courts will generally refuse to consider moot court questions. Texas & Pacific Railway Co. v. Interstate Transportation Co., 155 U. S. 583; Elastic Fabrics Co. v. Smith, 100 U. S. 110; Wright et al. v. Board of Public Works of Los Angeles, 163 Cal. 328, 125 Pac. 353; Modoc County v. Madden, 53 Pac. 268; 4 C. J. 1135, par. 3129; 4 C. J. 575, par. 2383 et seq.
These citations do not affect the rule that generally a record can not be added to on appeal. The appellant, however, insists that the principal question should be looked into because a matter of costs is involved. Some courts refuse to reverse when a mere question of costs is involved, but there is a difference of opinion as shown by the foregoing citations. In Porto Eico, where costs and attorney’s fees are apt to be high, we have on occasions exercised our discretion to enter into the merits and we shall do so to a limited extent in this case, although we do not propose definitely to decide the somewhat complicated questions of law and fact raised by the parties.
The principal controversy was waged over whether there
Likewise, the defendant after the death of the tutor paid over rents to various persons who were supposed to be close to the minors and who apparently accepted the payments at least up to the majority of Francisco Nevares and the emancipation of his sister. We are not finding that payments were accepted after the majority or emancipation of the plaintiffs, as it was also a very complicated question how far checks might constitute payment in this case.
One thing we are thoroughly convinced of, especially after die elaborate work done on both sides, and that is that the questions of law and fact were entirely debatable and hence that the defendant should not be seriously mulcted in costs.
Therefore, in view of the recent purchase by the defendant of the property involved in this suit, we shall refrain from deciding whether the judgment should prevail in so far as it dispossesses the defendant, inasmuch as, being owner, it may not be ousted from the premises and we limit our
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.