Wheelers Club International v. Jovito Bonifacio, Jr.

Summary

This case involves a complex property dispute over unlawful detainer arising from sublease arrangements. The Bonifacio family co-owned property that they leased to BDAI under a Lease Development Agreement, which then subleased to Wheelers Club. When the co-owners terminated BDAI's authority and demanded rentals directly from Wheelers, the latter refused, leading to an unlawful detainer case. The Supreme Court ruled that this was a valid sublease arrangement where the co-owners were strangers to the sublease contract between BDAI and Wheelers. Since no judgment had cancelled BDAI's principal lease, Wheelers had no obligation to pay the co-owners directly. The Court emphasized that BDAI's agency was coupled with interest as developer and not revocable at will, and that the sublease contract remained valid when the unlawful detainer was filed, giving the co-owners no cause of action against Wheelers.