By Bryan Manabat
bryan@mvariety.com
Variety News Staff
THE Superior Court has officially confirmed the ownership of a disputed parcel of land on Saipan, bringing closure to a long-standing title issue involving multiple government agencies and private parties.
In a 13-page decision issued on Oct. 3, 2025, Judge Joseph N. Camacho granted summary judgment in favor of Danny Jose O. Fitial and Josephine T. Kapileo, declaring them the rightful owners of Lot 011 G 71 in fee simple. The ruling also affirms the mortgage interest held by the Marianas Public Land Trust, which financed the couple’s acquisition of the property.
The case, filed by MPLT on behalf of Fitial and Kapileo, sought to quiet title to the property after a decades-long paper trail left the land’s ownership in question. The confusion stemmed from an unrecorded quitclaim deed issued by the Department of Public Lands to the original permit holder, Ramon Ayuyu San Nicolas, in 2000.
Although San Nicolas and his wife later defaulted on a mortgage with the Northern Marianas Housing Corporation and surrendered the property, they transferred their interest to MPLT in 2008. MPLT then issued a quitclaim deed to Fitial and Kapileo in 2013.
Despite the documented chain of title, a preliminary title report continued to list DPL as the property owner, prompting legal action.
Background
• Lot 011 G 71 was issued to Ramon Ayuyu San Nicolas under a Village Homestead Permit in 1996.
• San Nicolas and his wife obtained a mortgage from NMHC in 1998.
• In 2000, DPL issued a quitclaim deed to San Nicolas, but it was never recorded.
• The couple defaulted and surrendered the property to NMHC in 2004.
• In 2008, San Nicolas and his wife executed a warranty deed transferring the lot to MPLT.
• In 2013, MPLT issued a quitclaim deed to Fitial and Kapileo, who are now the current occupants and borrowers under an MPLT mortgage.
In his ruling, Judge Camacho found that the plaintiffs had established a valid and unbroken chain of title and that neither DPL nor NMHC had any remaining interest in the lot. The court also ruled that the San Nicolas couple were not necessary parties to the case, having relinquished their rights years earlier.
Furthermore, Judge Camacho’s decision bars DPL and NMHC from asserting any future claims to the property.