Automated Summary
Key Facts
On September 21, 2016, Puerto Rico's electrical system collapsed, and the service was not fully restored. The Supreme Court extended legal deadlines by treating September 21, 22, and 23, 2016 as holidays, moving all due dates to September 26, 2016.
Issues
The court considered whether to apply articles 388 and 389 of the 1902 Political Code to extend judicial deadlines for all cases and proceedings in Puerto Rico due to the total electrical system collapse on September 21, 2016, and subsequent service disruptions. The court ruled to treat September 21-23, 2016, as holidays, extending deadlines to September 26, 2016, to prevent parties from being unable to file appeals or meet obligations due to the outage.
Holdings
The Supreme Court of Puerto Rico extended judicial deadlines for cases and proceedings in all judicial regions from September 21 to 23, 2016, due to a statewide power outage. Deadlines are now extended to September 26, 2016, under the provisions of articles 388 and 389 of the 1902 Political Code (1 LPRA secs. 72 and 73).
Remedies
The Supreme Court of Puerto Rico extended legal deadlines originally due on September 21-23, 2016, to September 26, 2016, due to a statewide power outage. This relief was granted under articles 388 and 389 of the 1902 Political Code, treating the three days as holidays to prevent parties from being unable to file appeals or meet obligations during the outage.
Legal Principles
The Supreme Court applied Articles 388 and 389 of the 1902 Political Code to extend judicial deadlines for cases affected by a widespread power outage, treating September 21-23, 2016 as holidays. This allowed terms expiring during those days to be extended until September 26, 2016.
Precedent Name
Artículos 388 y 389 del Código Político de 1902
Cited Statute
Código Político de 1902
Passage Text
- Se ordena la difusión inmediata de esta Resolución.
- En aras de evitar que por situaciones imprevistas las partes se vean imposibilitadas de presentar sus recursos, y al amparo de nuestra facultad para reglamentar los procedimientos judiciales, al computar los términos en las distintas leyes, reglas o reglamentos a los procedimientos y trámites judiciales de los casos y asuntos a celebrarse en todas las Regiones Judiciales, se aplicará lo dispuesto en los artículos 388 y 389 del Código Político de 1902, 1 LPRA secs. 72 y 73, por lo que se considerará el 21, 22 y 23 de septiembre de 2016 como si fueran días feriados. Cualquier término a vencer en esos tres días se extenderá hasta el lunes, 26 de septiembre de 2016.