SCJ establishes that expiration of the deadline for filing a defense brief in administrative litigation does not result in automatic inadmissibility

The Third Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ) established the principle that eThe mere passage of the deadline for filing pleadings in an administrative dispute does not automatically result in their dismissal. 

The decision explains that such an irregular legal situation cannot be penalized in the absence of any harm it may cause; rather, it would only be considered if it were capable of causing a delay in the ruling in the case in question.  

“The latter is impossible, since the expiration of that deadline (for filing the defense brief) brings the case to a stage where a ruling must be issued, according to the text of Article 6 of Law 13-07 (on the jurisdiction of the Superior Administrative Court), obligating the judge to render a decision within the statutory timeframe,” states the ruling No. SCJ-TS-22-0832.  

In this regard, the ruling explains that if the judge has not ruled on a case in which the deadline for filing the answer has expired, the judge has the duty, if appropriate, to serve the aforementioned answer on the appellant or plaintiff, or to render a decision on the case, taking into account in both cases the respondent’s defense contained in said answer. 

“Since no infringement of the rights of the appellant in this cassation proceeding occurred, it is evident that the court a quo (court (against whose decision an appeal is filed) did not violate the principles of legality, fairness, and impartiality, since its decision respected the parties” right to a defense, due process, and effective judicial protection, given that the parties were on an equal footing before the administrative court, had the opportunity to present their defense arguments, and the statutory deadlines were respected,” the decision states. 

The ruling signed by Justices Manuel Ramón Herrera Carbuccia, Moisés Ferrer Landrón, and Rafael Vásquez Goico dismissed the appeal filed against Ruling No. 030-1646-2021-SSEN-00478, dated November 30, 2021, issued by the Seventh Settlement Chamber of the Superior Administrative Court. 

The full text of the ruling is available at the following link: https://bit.ly/3VDx6Xc