Miguel Escritor, Jr. v. Intermediate Appellate Court

Summary

This case involves a land ownership dispute over Lot No. 2749 in Quezon. Miguel Escritor obtained title through cadastral proceedings in 1958, but Simeon Acuna successfully challenged this through fraud allegations, obtaining readjudication in 1971. Acuna then sued Escritor's heirs for damages representing 13 years of fruits from allegedly unlawful possession. The Supreme Court reversed the Intermediate Appellate Court's award of damages, holding that the Escritor heirs were possessors in good faith based on the valid 1958 court decision. The Court emphasized that good faith is presumed, bad faith is not transmissible to heirs, and no fraud was proven in the original cadastral proceedings. The decision reinforces the principle that possession under a judicial decree creates presumption of good faith.