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Carbrera v Heirs of Pilar De Castro [1990] MPSC 1; SC Appeal No 89-018 (7 June 1990)

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE
COMMONWEALTH OF THE NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS

APPEAL NO. 89 - 018
CIVIL ACTION NO. 88 - 359

ANGELA ROBERTO CABRERA
Plaintiff/Appellant,

vs.

HEIRS OF PILAR DE CASTRO, et al.,
Defendants/Appellees.

Argued May 31, 1990

OPINION

BEFORE: DELA CRUZ, Chief Justice, VILLAGOMEZ and BORJA, Justices.

BORJA, Justice:

This is an appeal from a grant of summary judgment by the Superior Court on November 9, 1989, in favor of defendants.

BACKGROUND

The Land Commission Office issued a Determination of Ownership on March 7, 1984, determining that lot E. A. 851 belonged to the heirs of Pilar De Castro. Plaintiff, Angela Roberto Cabrera, is the daughter of Pilar De Castro. Defendants/appellees are the grandchildren of Pilar De Castro.

Plaintiff filed a lawsuit on April 20, 1988, seeking to quiet title to lot E. A. 351 in her name. She claimed sole ownership to the land by virtue of an alleged "partida," pursuant to Chamorro custom. The complaint named as defendants all of the known (seventeen in all) and unknown heirs of Pilar De Castro. Certain heirs filed answers. They disputed that the land belonged solely to plaintiff by virtue of a "partida." They contended that plaintiff only had an undivided one-sixth interest in the land.

After the deposition of plaintiff was taken, certain defendants moved for summary judgment. Plaintiff cross-moved for summary judgment.

Defendants filed their motion for summary judgment on September 20, 1988, based on the deposition of plaintiff where she stated that there was no "partida." Defendants' reliance on the deposition was countered by plaintiff's own affidavit and the affidavit of Elena Q. Sablan declaring that there was a "partida."

The trial court granted summary judgment in favor of defendants on October 23, 1989. It concluded that plaintiff failed to raise a genuine issue of fact regarding a "partida." The court based its conclusion on the affidavits and the deposition. It decided that the affidavits did not rise to the level of setting forth sufficient indicia of a "partida."

ISSUE PRESENTED

Did the trial court err in holding that appellant failed to raise a genuine issue of fact as to a "partida"?

STANDARD OF REVIEW

[1] On an appeal from a grant of summary judgment, the standard of review is limited to determining whether there is a genuine issue of material fact, and if there is none, then whether the law was correctly applied. Manglona v. Camacho, 1 CR 820 (D. NMI App. Div. 1983); Marianas General Corporation v. Government CNMI, 1 CR 408 (D. NMI App. Div. 1983).³ It is a de novo review.

ANALYSIS

For the reasons stated hereafter, we reverse the grant of summary judgment.

Plaintiff argues that the trial court erred when it concluded in its order that she failed to raise a genuine issue of fact. She contends that she has no burden to show the existence of a genuine issue of material fact. We disagree.

[2] In a motion for summary judgment, the movant has the initial burden of showing that no genuine issue of material fact exists. Government NMI v. Micronesian Insurance Underwriters, Inc., 2 CR 1164 (D.NMI App. Div. 1987).

However, once the moving party meets that burden, the burden shifts to the opponent to show that a genuine issue of a material fact does exist. Conception v. American International Knitters Corp., 2 CR 939 (D.NMI App.Div. 1986).

We now address the question of whether the record shows that a genuine issue of material fact exists with regard to a "partida."

[3] In a motion for summary judgment, the law is well established that the trial court must review the evidence and inferences in a light most favorable to the non-moving party. Government NMI v. Micronesian Insurance Underwriters, Inc., supra; Lizama v. Rios, 2 CR 568 (D.NMI App. Div. 1986); and Pangelinan v. Castro, 2 CR 429 (D.NMI App. Div. 1986).

[4] Here, the trial court relied on the statement of the plaintiff in her deposition that there was no "partida." It reviewed the affidavits and found that they did not raise a genuine issue of fact as to whether there was a "partida.."⁴

[5] While we agree that the affidavit of a party opposing a motion for summary judgment cannot state conclusive statements, Concepcion v. American Int'l Knitters Corp., supra, the affidavit of Mrs. Elena Q. Sablan and the pleadings themselves do point to the possible existence of a "partida."

The affidavit of Mrs. Elena Q. Sablan does state that she was told by her mother (plaintiff's sister and the oldest child of Pilar De Castro, deceased), and by her grandmother (plaintiff's mother and the original owner of the land), that the land was plaintiff's share of family lands. She also declared that her mother and the other children of Pilar and Jose Roberto obtained their share of family lands. Although it is true that the affidavit does not state the time, place, or members present when the "partida" was made, the declarations made in the affidavit of Mrs. Elena Q. Sablan should be viewed in the light most favorable to the opposing party i.e., that there was a "partida."

The complaint alleges that plaintiff's children are occupying the land. The answers admit that at least a small portion of the land is being occupied by plaintiff's children. Viewing this evidence and the inferences therefrom in the light most favorable to the appellant, there is raised the possibility that a "partida" exists.

[6] We note that the elements stated by the lower court necessary to prove a "partida" are elements necessary to prove an ideal