National City Bank of New York v. Registrar of Property of Humacao
National City Bank of New York v. Registrar of Property of Humacao
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the court.
The National City Bank of New York took this appeal because the registrar of property of Humacao refused to record a document presented to him for that purpose.
It appears from the document presented for record that in a foreclosure proceeding brought in the District Court of Humacao, by the National City Bank of New York against G-arzot & Fuertes, the marshal of said court sold to the appellant bank a property on which there is a central known as
“The recording of this document is refused because the property is now recorded in the name of The People of Puerto fi-ico by virtue of a public auction held on June 7, 1933, for the collection of property taxes for the fiscal years 1928-29, 1929 — 30, and 3930-31, amounting to $34,866.92; income taxes for the years 1927, 1928, and 1931, amounting to $5,238.49, and the processing tax on sugar for the fiscal year 1931-32, amounting to $8,001.56. Notice of this auction was given to The National City Bank of New York, as the holder of ten mortgage notes of $35,000 each. As neither the delinquent taxpayer, Garzot & Fuertes, nor any other interested person has yet exercised the right of redemption, a cautionary notice for 120 days is entered in favor of The National City Bank of New York, in accordance with the law.”
In the case of National City Bank v. Registrar, 44 P.R.R. 417, we held that the certificate of purchase or award in a tax sale transfers title to the purchaser or grantee and is recordable notwithstanding the right of redemption that the lay grants to the debtor, which constitutes a resolutory condition inasmuch as it only binds the purchaser or transferee to restore the thing received upon the happening of the prospective event; and that while the condition is pending, the only right of the former owner of the property thus sold or awarded is to redeem it by complying with the requirements prescribed by law. We also said that this species of sale is similar to a sale with the right to repurchase (retro-venta convencional) wherein the title passes to the purchaser and is recorded in his favor subject to -the right of repurchase, the sale to become absolute upon the failure to exercise that right within the period provided for redemption.
The appellant is aware of that decision, but it argues that the provisions of our Political Code in regard to tax sales have been taken from similar American statutes, and
The bank also says that because it purchased the property “Triunfo” at a judicial sale, it is the owner of .the right of redemption vested in G-arzot & Fuertes by reason of the award to the People of Puerto Bico for the collection of taxes, and that that right can be recorded in the registry notwithstanding the existing registration in the name of the
The decision appealed from must be affirmed.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.