Costa Beltrán v. Piazza Canosi

51 P.R. 667
CourtSupreme Court of Puerto Rico
DecidedJune 9, 1937
DocketNo. 6579
StatusPublished

This text of 51 P.R. 667 (Costa Beltrán v. Piazza Canosi) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Puerto Rico primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Costa Beltrán v. Piazza Canosi, 51 P.R. 667 (prsupreme 1937).

Opinions

MR. Justice Travieso

delivered the opinion of the court.

José Costa Bianchi by a will designated as his heirs his acknowledged natural children Julia, José, Antonia, Teodora, [669]*669Domingo, and Inocencio Costa Beltrán. Upon the death of the testator, Teodora, Domingo, and Inocencio, who were then minors remained nnder the patria potestas and tutorship of their natural mother Lorenza Beltrán.

Among the properties left by the deceased there was one of 109 acres {cuerdas), set apart to the growing of coffee. In the deed- of partition said property was valuated at $5,450, and it was allotted to the six heirs in the following undivided shares:

To José an undivided interest of $650, and to each of the other five an undivided interest of $950 in the value fixed on the realty.

On November 4, 1926, Lorenza Beltrán, as mother and guardian of her minor children Teodora, Domingo, and Ino-cencio, applied to the District Court of Ponce, for judicial authorization for her, together with the other two co-owners Julia and Antonio Beltrán, to borrow $2,500, to be secured by a mortgage on the property, of which amount $1,500 would belong to the infants, in order to purchase with that loan, and for the benefit of the three minor children, the undivided interest held by José Costa Beltrán in the property, for the sum of $2,000, and to use the remaining $500 to repair the damage done to the property b^ a hurricane. It was alleged in the petition that co-owner José Costa Beltrán did not wish to continue as joint owner of the property; that there was someone willing to pay $2,000 for his share; that it would be dangerous to take in as co-owner a stranger to the family; that the property was so small that it could not be divided without an exceedingly large depreciation; and that the property had been assessed, for tax purposes, at $8,500. At the hearing held on November 5, 1926, the petitioning mother testified that her son wanted to separate and sell his share in the estate to a Corsican named Salieetti, whom his other sons did not want as a co-owner; that the Banco Cafetero had assessed the property at $16,000; that José asked $2,000 for his share. Julia Costa Beltrán testified [670]*670to the same effect as her mother, adding that Jose’s share was one-eighth of the property and that it was easily worth $2,000; and that they needed the loan “in order to buy my brother’s share and $500 to repair the coffee plantation.” The minors Teodora and Domingo testified giving their consent to the authorization of the loan. The district attorney intervened in the proceedings and gave his approval.

On November 10, 1926, the district court entered an order granting the requested authorization, and providing as follows :

“And to purchase for $2,000, with the proceeds of this loan, and for the benefit of the said minors and co-owners, the undivided interest that José Costa Beltrán has in the same rural property, and to apply the remaining $500 to repair the damage caused by last year’s hurricane to the coffee plantation in said property.”

By a deed dated November 11, 1926, Lorenza Beltrán, the mother of the minor children, acting in pursuance of the judicial authority granted to her by the district court, together with Julia and Antonio Costa Beltrán constituted a mortgage over the property in question in favor of Dr. Francisco B. de Jesús, to secure the payment of his loan for $2,500. In said deed it Yjas expressly stated that each of the five brothers and sisters who were parties thereto was the owner of the undivided interest that had been allotted to him or her in the partition proceeds of the estate, and it was added:

- “And the other undivided interest, amounting to $650 of the total value of the property, was acquired by Julia Costa Beltrán by purchase from the other co-owner, José Costa Beltrán by deed number 106, executed before the subscribing notary on October 23, 1926. These purchases have not been yet recorded in the Registry of Property of the District, but this requisite will be complied with.”

In the second paragraph of said mortgage deed it was stated that a certified copy of the order of the court authorizing the loan and the mortgage on behalf of the minors, was attached at the end of the deed in order to insert it in the copy of the instrument. It appears from the record that this [671]*671was done in the copy issued to the mortgage creditor, De Jesús, which was recorded on December 29, 1926.

Subsequent to the constitution of the said mortgage, Julia Costa y Beltrán, who on October 23, 1926, had purchased her brother’s undivided interest, sold one-fifth thereof to each of her three minor brothers, represented by their mother Lo-renza Beltrán, and to her other brother Antonio, by a deed dated December 14, 1926. The vendor stated that she had acquired that undivided interest for herself and for her four brothers and sisters. The price paid by each of the purchasers was $400, that is, the same amount for which Julia had purchased it from José.

On the following day, December 15, 1926, Antonio Costa Beltrán, his three younger brothers and sister, represented by their mother Lorenza Beltrán, and Julia Costa Beltrán, executed a deed for the purpose of dissolving the community existing between them, as they thought that the property would depreciate too much if divided in specie among the co-owners. By the terms of that deed, Lorenza Beltrán awarded to Julia Costa Beltrán the undivided interests held by said Teodora, Domingo, and Inocencio in the property, for the price of $1,080, payable to each minor. Said price covered the value of the interest awarded each infant, that is, $950, plus one-fifth of the undivided interest, amounting to $650, purchased from José, or $130, which makes a total of $1,080 for each condominium. Antonio sold his share to Julia under similar conditions. It was stated in the deed that the partition was made without an authorization from the district court because the same was deemed to be unnecessary, according to the holding of this Supreme Court in the ease of Martínez et al. v. The Registrar of Caguas, 23 P.R.R. 330.

The above award was made subject to the mortgage held "by defendant De Jesús.

[672]*672Julia Costa Beltrán, as owner of the entire property, on July 7, 1927, mortgaged the same to Francisco R. de Jesús to secure a loan for $1,700, maturing on July 7, 1929.

On February 21, 1929, the defendant Francisco R. de Jesus brought summary mortgage foreclosure proceeding to recover on the two mortgages executed in his favor, and directed the complaint against the heirs of Julia Costa Bel-trán, who were her natural mother, Lorenza Beltrán, and her husband, Luciano S. Caraballo. After following the procedure provided by law, the property was awarded to Francisco R. de Jesús and recorded in his name. On November 20,1929, De Jesús sold it to the other defendant, Julián Piazza Canosi.

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Related

Longpré v. Diaz
237 U.S. 512 (Supreme Court, 1915)

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Bluebook (online)
51 P.R. 667, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/costa-beltran-v-piazza-canosi-prsupreme-1937.