Luce & Co. v. Morell

38 P.R. 774
Supreme Court of Puerto Rico·Decided November 28, 1928·No. No. 4495·Published

Opinion

Mr. Justice Texidor

delivered the opinion of the court.

Luce & C’o. Ltd., an agricultural partnership domiciled in Salinas, brought an action against Damián Morell and his wife, Maria Adelaida Cabrera, alleging that since December 18, 1923, the plaintiffs have been the owners of an eight-twentieths interest in a rural property known as the Carmen plantation in the municipal district of Salinas, of which ati interest of eleven-twentieths was owned by Manuel González Martinez who on May 20, 1924, in a judicial sale acquired [775]*775another twentieth of the property which had belonged to Francine Peri; that on April 2, 1925, Manuel González Mar-tínez sold by public deed to Damián Morell y Bauzá the said joint interest of one-twentieth of the property which had belonged to Francine Peri; that the sale was made for six thousand dollars and expenses of thirty-six dollars; that in bringing their action of redemption as joint owners the plaintiffs deposited in the court six thousand and fifty dollars for the purchase price of the property and the expenses, and they prayed the court for a judgment rescinding the purchase and sale between Manuel González Martínez and Damián Morell and his wife by virtue of the exercise of the action of redemption. By leave of the court the prayer of the complaint was accompanied by an obligation of the plaintiffs not to sell within four years the joint interest referred to in the complaint.

In the answer to that complaint defendants Morell and his wife deny that since December 18, 1923, or on April 2, 1925, the plaintiffs were the owners of eight-twentieths of the property described in the complaint, and aver that they acquired those interests on September 26, 1925, when in execution of a judgment the marshal of the District Court of Ponce executed a valid deed to the interests in favor of the plaintiffs; that the first notice which the defendants had of such sale was on September 16, 1925, when they were summoned in this action of redemption; that when on September 26, 1925, the plaintiffs acquired their interests defendant Morell was already the owner of the one-twentieth interest and had been since April 2, 1925, by valid and recordable title, and that the plaintiffs have no right of action in redemption, but that defendant has and has exercised it in another complaint. They pleaded as a special defense that there was pending in the same court a case in which Damián Morell Bauzá had brought an action of redemption in joint ownership against Luce & Co. Ltd. in order to subrogate him[776]*776self to their place as regards the purchase and sale of eight-twentieths of the same property, in which action there are two complementary complaints, and prayed for a dismissal of the complaint.

Damián Morell Bauza brought in the same court an action of redemption against Luce & Co. Ltd., alleging that he was the owner of one-twentieth of the Carmen plantation in the municipal district of Salinas, which he acquired by purchase from Manuel González Martínez by deed of April 2, 1925; that on September 16, 1925, the plaintiff was informed that Luce & Co. Ltd. were the owners of a condominium of eight-twentieths of the said property, but it did not appear from that information that said condominium was recorded in the registry of property, and the plaintiff' had no knowledge that the defendants had acquired the ownership of that condominium duly and by a valid conveyance and had only been notified thereof by the summons; that the plaintiff acquired his condominium from Manuel González before Luce ■& Co. acquired theirs by a valid title, Luce & Co. being strangers to the community; that the plaintiff is informed that Luce & Co. paid for their condominiums the sum of $66,299.99 and the expenses amounting to $376.10, which sums are deposited in the court by plaintiff Morell at the disposal of the defendants, together with a sum to cover any other expense in bringing, as he does, the action of redemption of common property in order to subrogate himself to the place of Luce & Co. in the purchase of that condominium. Morell presented also a complementary complaint in order to allege that the marshal of the District Court of Ponce, in representation of some Antonetti defendants and others in an action for ratification of a deed wherein Luce & Co. Ltd. were plaintiffs and in which judgment was rendered for the plaintiffs, had executed a deed conveying the title of the condominium of eight-twentieths of the Carmen plantation in Salinas to said Luce & Co. Ltd. on 'September 26, 1925; and in a second [777]*777complementary complaint Morell alleged tlie recording in the registry of property of a copy of the deed executed by the marshal on the said date.

In relation to the original complaint and the first complementary complaint Luce & Co. Ltd., the defendants, moved the court to strike out the following:

1. The averment that plaintiff Morell acquired an interest from Manuel G-onzalez prior to the acquisition by Luce & Co. by good title, because it is a conclusion of law and not an allegation of fact and because it is incongruent with another part of the complaint in which it is alleged that Luce & Co. are the owners of eight-twentieths of the property.

2. The part of averment 3 of the complaint wherein it is said, Cand the plaintiff had no notice in any way that the defendants had acquired the ownership of that condominium duly and by a valid conveyance,” because it contradicts the statement of the same averment “that in the afternoon of the 16th of the current month the plaintiff herein was informed that defendants Luce & Co. Ltd. were the owners of a condominium of eight-twentieths etc. ’ ’ and because the words “valid” and “duly” mean a legal conclusion and confuse the averment.

As regards the complementary complaint they moved the court to strike it out wholly because they had no notice of any order of the court allowing its presentation and because it is composed of immaterial facts. The court overruled the motion. The defendants demurred on the ground of lack of facts to constitute a. cause of action and the demurrer was overruled by the court.

The defendants Luce & Co. Ltd. answered the original and the complementary complaints, alleging in substance that they are the owners of eight-twentieths of the Carmen plantation, as shown by a public deed of December 18, 1923, which was not admitted to record in the registry of property; that they appealed from the registrar’s refusal to the [778]*778Supreme Court and later to the United States Circuit Court where it is pending, and the cautionary notice entered in the registry when the record was refused is pending; that the said cautionary notice was in effect on the date of the sale of the condominium by Manuel González to Morell and the latter had presumptive knowledge of the sale of the eight-twentieths to Luce & Co. Ltd. because notice had been given in the registry of a complaint of Luce & Co. Ltd. against Madame Veuve Antoinette Antoni-Antonetti and others for confirmation and ratification of the said deed of December-18, 1923, which entry was in force at the time of the sale by Manuel González to Damián Morell; that the latter had actual knowledge of the sale of the condominium to Luce & Co. Ltd.; that they reject the deposit as without consideration and simulated, and allege that the sale of the one-twentieth by González to Morell was simulated; -that Manuel González.

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