Elisa Veguillas v. Roman Jauncian

Summary

This 1913 Supreme Court case involved competing ownership claims over six parcels of land sold multiple times by Damaso Ricafort through pacto de retro contracts. Roman Jaucian claimed ownership based on a 1901 contract and subsequent possession in good faith after redeeming the property from a third party in 1907. Elisa Veguillas claimed ownership based on a 1906 contract and registration in 1909. The Court of First Instance ruled for Jaucian based on prior possession and older title. The Supreme Court reversed, applying Civil Code Article 1473, ruling that Veguillas' registration of title in October 1909 gave her superior rights over Jaucian's possession. The case established the principle that in competing claims to real property, registration defeats possession, even when the possessor has an older title and acts in good faith. The Court denied damages for pre-registration occupancy since Jaucian possessed in good faith.