Las Marias Reference Laboratory Corp. v. Municipio De San Juan

**What Happened** Las Marias Reference Laboratory had a contract with the Municipality of San Juan to provide laboratory services. When the original contract expired, the municipality continued using the lab's services under contract extensions. However, these extensions were never properly registered with the Controller's Office as required by Puerto Rican law. When the municipality stopped paying for services, the laboratory sued for breach of contract to collect unpaid invoices. **What the Court Decided** The Puerto Rico Supreme Court ruled in favor of the municipality. The court found that because the contract extensions were never registered with the Controller's Office, they were legally invalid and unenforceable. This meant the laboratory could not collect payment for services provided under the unregistered extensions, even though the municipality had accepted and used those services. **Why This Matters for Workers** This ruling highlights the importance of proper contract registration in Puerto Rico's public sector. Workers and companies doing business with municipalities should ensure all contracts and extensions follow required legal procedures. Without proper registration, even legitimate work performed may not be legally recoverable, leaving workers and businesses without recourse for unpaid services.