- Petitioner
- Madrid
- Respondent
- Mapoy
- Citation
- G.R. No. 150887
- Court
- Supreme Court
- Division
- Second Division
- Ponente
- Brion, J.
- Decided
- August 14, 2009
Summary
The Supreme Court affirmed the Court of Appeals decision ordering petitioners Madrid and Bernardo to vacate respondents' titled property. The case involved an accion publiciana where registered landowners sought to recover possession from long-term occupants claiming ownership through oral sales. The Court upheld the indefeasible nature of the Torrens title against collateral attacks, ruling that petitioners' fraud claims against the title's validity could not be entertained in a possession case. The Court rejected petitioners' invocation of PD 1517 protection, finding they were mere occupants by tolerance, not legitimate tenants. While affirming the lower courts' decisions on possession and ownership issues, the Supreme Court modified the judgment by deleting the attorney's fees award due to lack of proper justification in the trial court's decision.