Court Opinion

ID: 2964972
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2015-09-21 21:33:39.840241+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:12:12.676495
License: Public Domain

USCA1 Opinion

	

                                [NOT FOR PUBLICATION]

                            UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
                                FOR THE FIRST CIRCUIT
                                 ____________________

        No. 97-1573

                                RAMON TORRES-GONZALEZ,

                                Plaintiff, Appellant,

                                          v.

                              GRACIANY MIRANDA-MARCHAND,

                                 Defendant, Appellee.

                                 ____________________

                     APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

                           FOR THE DISTRICT OF PUERTO RICO

                    [Hon. Hector M. Laffitte, U.S. District Judge]
                                              ___________________

                                 ____________________

                                        Before

                                Torruella, Chief Judge,
                                           ___________
                           Stahl and Lynch, Circuit Judges.
                                            ______________

                                 ____________________

            Ramon Torres-Gonzalez on brief pro se.
            _____________________
            Graciany Miranda-Marchand on brief pro se.
            _________________________

                                 ____________________

                                   November 19, 1997
                                 ____________________

                      Per Curiam.  The district court properly  dismissed
                      __________

            plaintiff's action on res judicata grounds.  That plaintiff's

            1992 action  was  dismissed before  trial  because  plaintiff

            filed the  action after  the statute  of limitations  had run

            does not make  preclusion principles inapplicable.   One year

            statutes  of limitations  are treated  as  "substantive," not

            procedural, under Puerto Rico law.   Febo Ortego v.  Superior
                                                 ___________     ________

            Court,  102  P.R.R.  506,  509  (1974).    Consequently,  the
            _____

            dismissal  of  plaintiff's  1992  action barred  his  present

            action.  See, e.g., Rose v. Town of Harwich, 778 F.2d 77, 80-
                     ___  ____  ____    _______________

            81  (1st  Cir.  1985)  (explaining that  when  a  statute  of

            limitations  is  a substantive  limitation  extinguishing the

            right  of action,  a  dismissal  on  statute  of  limitations

            grounds  constitutes a  dismissal  on  the  merits  with  res

            judicata effect).

                      Affirmed.
                      ________

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