DIGEST/IMMANUEL GRANADA/FELIPE FERRER, ARTURO FERRER AND SERAFIN FERRER VS. JUDGE ADORADO S. LIM/1981

 

FERRER v. JUDGE LIM

 

FACTS

Ferrer’s father filed a forcible entry case against Galanga before Judge Lim. The trial was terminated in 1962 but the judge failed to render his decision.

Judge Lim countered that a decision is dispensable since the Ferrers had voluntarily withdrew their administrative case against him; the CFI of Ilagan, Isabela, has already issued, in another civil case, a writ of possession in favor of Galanga over the parcel of land which is the subject matter of the case pending before him, thus rendering the latter case moot and academic; that of his own knowledge, a case was also filed in the Bureau of Lands involving the same subject matter; that because of the flood which occurred in 1966, the records of cases in his court were destroyed, for which reason the records of the forcible entry cannot now be located.

ISSUE

Is Judge Lim guilty of misconduct in office?

RULING

Yes. Judge Lim is guilty of misconduct in office by unexcusably delaying the disposition of a forcible entry case which ought to be summary and speedy.

Forcible entry is a summary proceeding, entitled to provide an expeditious means of protecting actual possession or right to possession of property.  

The fact that there was flood in 1966 is of no moment considering that he should have decided the case long before it occurred.  Likewise, a civil case filed later in the Court of First Instance is no excuse for respondent to have disposed the forcible entry case much earlier.

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