Hernández v. Tornabells & Co.

17 P.R. 605
CourtSupreme Court of Puerto Rico
DecidedMay 24, 1911
DocketNo. 571
StatusPublished

This text of 17 P.R. 605 (Hernández v. Tornabells & Co.) 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
Hernández v. Tornabells & Co., 17 P.R. 605 (prsupreme 1911).

Opinion

Mr. Chief Justice Hernández

delivered the opinion of the court.

On September 7, 1909, Agustín Hernández Mena filed a complaint in the Municipal Court of Mayagiiez against Tor-nabells & Co., their receivers, successors, or legal representatives, to recover $412.80, the balance of a promissory note for a greater amount which was executed by said firm to the order of José Cajigas, whose property had been transferred to the plaintiff, and Camilo Suriñach, who, as receiver of the firm of Tornabells' & Co., had been personally cited, according to the sworn statement of Manuel Parra, not having appeared in due time to answer the complaint his default was entered and a judgment rendered on'September 20 by which he was adjudged to pay the sum claimed and the costs.

In order to secure the effectiveness of said judgment, an urban property belonging to Tornabells & Co., in liquidation, was attached on October 18 following.

The defendants, by a motion of November 1 of said year, requested the aforesaid municipal .court to set aside the judgment rendered and to dissolve the attachment levied for the execution thereof, on the ground that the court had been deceived by Hernandez Mena, who alleged as grounds for his action the existence of a promissory note which was not [607]*607signed by Tornabells & Go., bnt by J. Tornabells & Co., who .are two entirely different parties. Moreover, tbe summons was served by a person unqualified to serve tbe same — that is, by an employe of tbe plaintiff.

Tbe aforesaid motion was sustained by tbe court by order of tbe 17tb of said November, and Hernández Mena requested tbe reconsideration of tbe same, wbicb motion was dismissed by another order of December 4 following. An appeal to tbe District Court of Mayagfiez was taken by bim from botb orders.

By an order of tbe 16tb of tbe same month of December said municipal court sustained another motion filed by tbe defendant firm, wherein they prayed for tbe annulment of tbe adjudication to Hernández Mena of tbe property attached, wbicb adjudication was made by tbe marshal of tbe municipal court on tbe 16th of tbe previous month of November. From tbe aforesaid decision tbe plaintiff also appealed to tbe district court.

In tbe course of tbe proceedings tbe firm of Tornabells & Co. answered tbe complaint, denying all tbe facts alleged therein, and filed a counterclaim praying that upon tbe dismissal of tbe complaint by judgment tbe plaintiff be adjudged to pay tbe sum of $200 as damages suffered by tbe defendants and the costs and necessary expenses of tbe suit. They alleged that tbe promissory note, subject matter of tbe action, was due by J. Tornabells & Co. and not by Tor-nabells & Co.; that summons bad not been personally served on tbe receiver of Tornabells & Co., Camilo Suriñach, notwithstanding tbe fact that tbe plaintiff’s employe, Manuel Parra, bad so sworn; that for this reason tbe complaint was not answered in due time and a judgment was rendered in ■default, for tbe execution of wbicb an attachment was levied on an urban property belonging to Tornabells & Co., who were not bound to pay tbe debt since such payment devolved •on J. Tornabells & Go.

December 24, 1909, was set for tbe bearing of the case [608]*608by tiie municipal court, and the plaintiff not having appeared, it was held, upon motion of the defendant, that he had abandoned his complaint; and in regard to the counterclaim a judgment was rendered on the 27th of the same month ordering that the defendant firm should recover from the plaintiff the amount of $100, at which the damages caused the defendant were estimated. The costs were also taxed against the plaintiff, Hernández Mena.

From the aforesaid judgment Hernández Mena took an appeal to the District Court of Mayagiiez, wherein a final judgment was rendered as follows:

“This case, which is before the court by virtue of an appeal taken from a judgment, rendered by the Municipal Court of Maya-giiez, was called for trial on February 17, the plaintiff having appeared personally and the defendants through their counsel, Victor P. Martinez.
“The orders of the municipal court setting aside the judgment in default rendered in this case and annulling the attachment and sale which were made in consequence thereof having been previously argued, the court decided that as it does not appear that the municipal judge abused the discretion which is conferred upon him by section 140 of the Code of Civil Procedure, his orders must be affirmed. The order of the municipal judge, by which the plaintiff was held to have abandoned his suit because he did not appear on the date of the trial having been considered, it is also affirmed. The trial of the counterclaim having begun, the evidence was taken and counsel for both parties presented their arguments. The court reserved decision until to-day, when it declares that, although some irregularities in the prosecution of this suit may be observed, they are merely of form and were agreed to by the parties and therefore are not a bar to the rendition of judgment.
“Therefore it is declared by the court that the law and the facts; are in favor of the defendant firm, and hence it is ordered that the firm in liquidation, Tornabells & Co., recover from the plaintiff, Agustín Hernández, the sum of $75 and the costs of this suit.
“Let this judgment be entered in the proper, book of this court and a certified copy thereof be issued to the Municipal Court of Mayagiiez for compliance therewith.
[609]*609“Given in Mayagüez on the 1st of March, 1910. Otto Schoenrieh, District Judge.”

From the foregoing judgment, and from each and all of the orders specified therein, an appeal was taken by Her-nández Mena to this Supreme Court.

Section 1 of an act to regulate appeals from judgments of municipal courts in civil cases, approved March 11, 1908, allows appeals from judgments rendered in civil cases, which finally decide them in favor of the plaintiff or of the defendant, to the district court for the judicial district in which the municipal court is situated. Section 3 of the same law provides that when the appeal is called for trial the district court shall, on motion of the appellant, review and consider any preliminary orders, decisions, or rulings by which he considers himself to have been aggrieved, after which the cause shall proceed to trial, and the complaint or answer having been amended when proper, the trial shall be held as a trial de novo, and shall be governed by all the provisions of law and rules of court affecting trials of actions originally brought in the district courts.

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17 P.R. 605, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hernandez-v-tornabells-co-prsupreme-1911.