Castro Feliú v. Rexach Racing & Sporting Corp.

60 P.R. 294
Procedural entryThis page is a short order in Castro Feliú v. Rexach Racing & Sporting Corp.. Read the opinion of the Court — 60 P.R. Dec. 301
Supreme Court of Puerto Rico·Decided April 23, 1942·No. No. 8485·Published

Opinion

Mr. Justice Travieso

delivered the opinion of the court.

On October 18, 1937, the defendant corporation appointed the plaintiff, Lnis Castro Feliú, ’manager of the “Las Ca-sas” race track for a term of five years, and it hound itself to pay to him for his services “thirty per cent of the net profits received by the corporation from the horse races held [295]*295on the ‘Las Casas’ race track.” Under the terms of the written contract which was entered into by said parties the compensation of the manager mnst he computed in accordance with the following table:

Up to $12,000 net profits-30 per cent

From $12,000 to $20,000 that is on $8,000- 25 per cent

On all profits exceeding $20,000- 10 per cent

In paragraph 4 of the contract it was stipulated that “the net profits of the corporation shall be understood to mean those obtained as a result of the horse races held on the ‘Las Casas’ race track,” after deducting the amount of prizes paid to the owner of horses, taxes, insurance premiums, expenses for maintenance of the property, printing and advertisements in connection with the races, and especially:

“(e) All expenses known in race tracks as ‘race expenses,’ such as salaries of the personnel connected with the pool, subscription fund, ticket offices, grooms, . . .

Paragraph 8 of the contract reads as follows:

“8. The proceeds of the sale of the tickets (cuadros) for betting on the pool shall not be considered as an income of the corporation, but everything pertaining to said tickets shall hereafter be decided by the corporation.”

On April 18, 1940, Castro filed a complaint in which, after stating the terms and conditions of his contract with the defendant, alleged that he had served as manager of the “Las Casas” race track and discharged all the duties of his office until June 30, 1938, when both parties terminated the contract subject to the making of a liquidation of the net profits received and payment to the plaintiff of any sum due him under the contract; that according to his information and belief the net profits received by the defendant amounted to $25,341.31, out of which the sum of $3,984.13 belonged to him in accordance with the contract; and that [296]*296the defendant liad refused to make the liquidation of profits and to pay to the plaintiff the sum dne him. The plaintiff prayed that the defendant be directed to forthwith make, with the intervention of the court and of the plaintiffs, “a complete, faithful, and correct liquidation of the net profits received by it from the horse races, pools, bancas, and subscription funds held on the ‘Las Casas’ race track from October 18, 1937, to June 30, 1938”; and that, after said sum had been determined, the defendant be adjudged to pay to the plaintiff his share in such profits, with interest thereon, costs, and attorney’s fees.

The defendant answered, specifically denying each and every essential averment of the complaint.

On December 30, 1940, the District Court of San Juan rendered judgment sustaining the complaint and ordering'—

“. That the defendant Rexach Racing & Sporting Corporation forthwith make, at its own expense, with the intervention of this court and of the plaintiff, a liquidation of the net profits received by it from the races on the ‘Las Casas’ racetrack from October 18, 1937, to June 30, 1938, so as to ascertain the share in such profits to which the plaintiff may be entitled under the contract made with him; and once said profits have been ascertained and determined, they should be paid to the plaintiff Luis Castro Feliú the share in said net profits to which he may be entitled with interest therqon at the rate of- 6 per cent per annum from April 18, 1940. The defendant is adjudged to pay the costs.”

On January 3, 1941, the plaintiff moved to reconsider and amend the judgment in the sense of providing (a) that the liquidation ordered should include all profits received by the defendant from horse races, pools, bancas, and subscription funds held on the “Las Casas” race track; (6) that the defendant should pay interest on the amount of the share pertaining to the plaintiff from the date of the termination of the contract, that is, from June 30, 1938; and (c) that the defendant should pay to the plaintiff his attorney’s fees. Said motion for reconsideration was denied in all its parts. [297]*297The court in its decision stated that the allowance of attorney’s fees would not he proper, as there was no obstinacy on the part of the defendant, and that an award of interest sum which had not yet been liquidated. The court failed to sum which had not been yet liquidated. The court failed to state any reason for its refusal to grant the request contained in the motion to have the judgment rendered more specific as to the items which should be covered by the liquidation.

On January 30, 1941, the defendant filed a motion consenting to the judgment rendered on December 30, 1940, and exhibited there with “a liquidation of all the receipts and expenses on account of the horse races and derived from the items ‘ticket booths, pool, and banca.’ ” According to said liquidation, the defendant gross receipts from October 16, 1937, to June 30, 1938, amounted to $102,067.22, showing a net profit of $5,162.77.

The plaintiff opposed the approval of the statement of liquidation submitted by the defendant, on the ground that the same failed to include the income received by the defendant from subscription funds, pool-tickets, lease of refreshment booths, sale of programs and radio broadcasts of horse races and games; and alleged that the total income actually received by the defendant exceeded $126,000.

In answer to plaintiff’s opposition the defendant alleged that the inclusion of the profits derived from the subscription funds was a matter which had already been decided by the lower court when denying the reconsideration of its judgment, and that therefore the doctrine of res judicata was applicable thereto.

On May 27, 1941, the lower court rendered its decision which reads as follows:

“This court, by its judgment sustaining the complaint, ordered "the defendant to make a liquidation of the net profits received by it from the horse races held on the ‘Las Casas’ race track from [298]*298October 18, 1937, to June 30, 1938, so as to fix plaintiff’s share in such profits in accordance with the contract entered into by him..
“After the judgment had become final (fi/rme), the defendant simply filed an incomplete statement of the receipts and expenditures-which only included the receipts from the pools, bancas, and ticket offices during the period referred to in the judgment, and failed to-include the receipts from other sources such as subscription funds, lease of refreshment booths, and radio fees collected by the defendant during the period in question.
“It is stimulated in the contract that the defendant shall pay to the plaintiff a percentage of the net profits received by the corporation from the races held on defendant’s race track,

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Castro Feliú v. Rexach Racing & Sporting Corp., 60 P.R. 294 (prsupreme 1942).

60 P.R. 294 (Castro Feliú v. Rexach Racing & Sporting Corp.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.