Clavell Rodríguez v. Registrar of Property of Ponce
Clavell Rodríguez v. Registrar of Property of Ponce
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the Court.
A petition was filed in the Registry of Property of Ponce requesting the registration of six real properties situated in said municipality in favor of appellants Roberto, Gloria, and Iván Gerardo, all surnamed Clavell Rodriguez, as testamentary trustees designated by Cosme Clavell Rodríguez, and of the minors Gloria Milagros and Gustavo Clavell Rosa, as beneficiaries. The following complementary documents were attached: 1 — certified copy of the open will executed by Cosme Clavell Rodriguez, No. 66 of June 2, 1956, before notary Práxedes Alvarez Leandri; 2 — certificate issued by the Clerk of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico certifying the registration of said will in the Registry of Wills and proof that it did not appear that the same had been revoked or modified in any manner whatsoever subsequent to its execution; 3 — certified copy of deed No. 66 of June 29, 1962, before notary Práxedes Alvarez Leandri by virtue of which a document signed by the appellants before notary R. Davis Vázquez accepting the designation of tutors and trustees was protocolized; 4 — certified copy of the letters testamentary issued in favor of appellants by the Superior Court, Ponce Part, on August 7, 1961; and 5 — the original receipt of inheritance tax issued by the Secretary of the Treasury in relation to the estate of the aforementioned testator.
In the testamentary provisions under consideration, the testator instituted as heirs his children Gloria Milagros and
The registrar issued the following note which contains his view of qualification:
“This document, is hereby recorded in view of the complementary documents in favor of the trustees . . . but limiting the registration to two-thirds thereof equivalent to the extra and free portion subject to the suspensive condition that the minor beneficiaries’ mother accept the inheritance in their behalf (art. 16 of the Mortgage Law), and the record is hereby denied as to the following points: First: Whereas, pursuant to § 741, the constitution of the trust established in the seventh clause cannot burden or condition the minor beneficiaries’ legal portion in any manner whatsoever, therefore the trust imposed should be limited only to the extra and free portions, leaving the remaining portion, which constitutes the legal portion, entirely*340 at the disposal of the heirs. (Sections 855 and 874 of the Civil Code.) Second: As to the sixth clause, since a general or full tutorship is constituted, which is equivalent to depriving the mother of the patria potest'as in its dual declaration: over the person and property of his minor children, it being contrary to' §§ 152, 153, 163 to 167 of the Civil Code; and because the tutorship as organized cannot have three tutors to fulfill the duties' jointly, pursuant to the provisions of § 169 in relation to § 176 of the Code. Third: Protocolization Deed No. 66 executed before notary Práxedes Álvarez Leandri, on June 29, 1962, is hereby rejected as complementary document because it is contrary to art. 3 of the Mortgage Law, and to arts. 50 and 51 of the Regulations, since the protocolization of an affidavit does not have the effect of constituting such document in a public deed, according to the decision in the case of Ponce Real Estate Corporation, Edison Puerto Rico Stores, Inc. v. Registrar, appeal No. 1395. of February 7, 1963 . . . .”
An administrative appeal was filed against the preceding-note. The errors assigned are: 1) that respondent erred in failing to record the absolute ownership in favor of the trustees of the real properties constituting the hereditary-estate; 2). and likewise he erred in denying record because of the- other three reasons stated in his note.
1. The strict application of §§ 741 — “A testator cannot deprive the heir of his legal portion, except in the cases expressly fixed by law. Neither can he impose upon it any burden, condition, or substitution of any kind whatsoever, with exception of what has been prescribed with regard to the usufruct of the surviving spouse.” — 846 in fine —“Trusts constituted to the detriment or impairment of the rights of heirs at law as prescribed in this title, are hereby prohibited and are likewise null.” — and 874
Respondent is also right in maintaining that the protoeolization of the certificate attached is not sufficient to validly credit the trustees’ acceptance. Section 872 of the Civil Code, 31 L.P.R.A. § 2579, does not authorize the recording of real property in the name of the trustee, unless there is also filed for record, along with the deed of trust the deed of acceptance. It is in accord with § 850, 31 L.P.R.A.
2. Since all that was sought was the registration of the property in the'name of the trustees, it is not necessary to consider whether the ground adduced in the note of refusal in relation to the designation of tutors and the scope of their power is correct. See, however, Mercado v. Mercado, 66 P.R.R. 764, 770-776 (1947) and Concepción v. Latoni, 51 P.R.R. 547 (1937). It is so acknowledged by appellants in stating that the sixth clause of the will does not affect in any manner whatsoever the registration of the. property requested by them.
The note appealed from will be affirmed.
See, Alvarez v. Sec. of the Treasury, 80 P.R.R. 15, 36-38 (1957), where Mr. Justice Belaval, in his concurring opinion, refers to the cardinal preoccupation that the incorporation of the institution of trusts might alter the inheritance system in force, with its distinctive characteristic of legal portions.
Incidentally we note that the respondent registrar made the record in favor .of the trustees as to the portion of free disposal and the extra portion. In his brief he cites § 751 of the Civil Code, 31 L.P.R.A.-§ 2391, which authorizes the imposition of encumbrances on the extra, portion when they are established in favor of the forced heirs or their descendants, to conclude that within the range of encumbrances that, may be imposed a trust like the one under consideration may operate. The doctrine does not seem to support this construction of said provision. V Borrell .y Soler, Derecho Civil Español 284 (1954 ed.) explains that: “We have seen .that . . . [§] 824 states that no other encumbrances can be imposed upon the extra portion than those which may be established in favor of the
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.