- Petitioner
- Labajo
- Respondent
- Enriquez
- Citation
- G.R. No. L-11093
- Court
- Supreme Court
- Division
- Second Division
- Ponente
- Montemayor, J.
- Decided
- January 27, 1958
Summary
This case involves a property dispute where plaintiffs sought reimbursement of P2,552 in rentals collected by defendant from their lot during their five-year absence. Defendant occupied and leased Lot No. 676 believing it was part of his adjacent property. The Supreme Court upheld the trial court's dismissal of both complaint and counterclaim, ruling that defendant was a possessor in good faith entitled to the fruits collected until notified of plaintiffs' ownership. The Court applied Civil Code provisions on good faith possession, emphasizing that the burden of proving bad faith rests on the alleging party. The decision also dismissed defendant's counterclaim for damages from allegedly false criminal charges, finding no bad faith on plaintiffs' part in filing estafa charges that were later dismissed as civil matters.
Intellegal Wiki · Key Holding
Affirmed the dismissal, holding that a possessor in good faith is entitled to the fruits collected until notified of the true owner's title, and that the burden of proving bad faith rests on the party alleging it.
An editorially maintained summary of the rule this Supreme Court decision is cited for — not legal advice.