G.R. No. L-1370; April 27, 1949
BERNARDA DE VASQUEZ, petitioner, vs. ALFONSO DIVA, respondent.

FACTS

Alfonso Diva filed an action for unlawful detainer against Bernarda de Vasquez in the municipal court. The property in question was originally acquired by Vasquez’s deceased husband in 1927. It was later sold to Geronimo Santiago, who obtained a transfer certificate of title, and then sold by Santiago to Diva in 1944. The Court of First Instance ordered Vasquez to vacate and pay rent, a decision affirmed by the Court of Appeals. Vasquez appealed, arguing the courts failed to properly consider the issue of ownership and that ejectment could not be decided under the cited legal provisions.

ISSUE

Whether the unlawful detainer action is proper despite the defendant’s challenge to the plaintiff’s ownership of the property.

RULING

Yes. The Court affirmed the decision of the Court of Appeals. The relationship of lessor and lessee between Diva and Vasquez was established. In an unlawful detainer case, a lessee is estopped from denying the lessor’s title. The question of ownership is separate and does not defeat the court’s jurisdiction over the ejectment suit. The validity of the sales transferring the property to Diva should be litigated in an appropriate action, not in the detainer case.

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