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Tinian family sues Quichocho
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Posted on May 26 2005
A Tinian family has sued a lawyer of the Marianas Public Lands Authority and two other men to assert its ownership of two parcels of land.
MPLA attorney Ramon King Quichocho allegedly attempted to unlawfully transfer ownership of the two lots to Jesse S. Palacios. Besides Palacios, the suit also named Quichocho’s brother-in-law, Diego Lebante as co-defendant in the lawsuit.
The defendants have allegedly been interfering with the King family’s possession and use rights over two parcels of land in San Jose, Tinian measuring 1,050-sqm and 713-sqm.
Quichocho did not comment on the suit when contacted yesterday, saying that he has yet to receive a copy of the complaint at press time.
Roma P. King, her sister Mary Christine and her mother, Marleen, on behalf of the latter’s two underaged daughters, filed the civil action yesterday at the Superior Court, asking for monetary damages from the defendants.
Micronesian Legal Services Corp. attorney Jane Mack, who represents the Kings, said that the King children acquired ownership of the two lots when their father, Jose Borja King, executed deeds of gift on April 16, 2003. When the deeds were executed, the patriarch owned titles to the lots.
Sometime in 2004, however, the King patriarch became seriously ill; he executed a general power of attorney authorizing Quichocho to act on his behalf in any transaction.
In a complaint, Mack said Quichocho purported to transfer ownership of the two lots by executing quitclaim deeds on behalf of the King patriarch and in favor of Palacios on Aug. 12, 2004. Mack said Quichocho could not transfer the interests of the King children as attorney-in-fact for their father.
Mack accused Lebante of acting in concert with Quichocho, saying the defendants interfered with the King children’s ownership, possession and use rights over the lots without their permission.
She said that the defendants padlocked the properties and prevented the King children from using or occupying the premises on Nov. 5, 2004.
“On or about the same date, defendant Quichocho physically and/or verbally attempted to evict plaintiffs and called the police to arrest [the] in the land [they own],” Mack stated.
