
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                                [NOT FOR PUBLICATION]                            UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS                                FOR THE FIRST CIRCUIT                                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.                      ________                                         -2-
