Martínez v. Pagán

17 P.R. 462
CourtSupreme Court of Puerto Rico
DecidedApril 27, 1911
DocketNo. 615
StatusPublished

This text of 17 P.R. 462 (Martínez v. Pagán) 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
Martínez v. Pagán, 17 P.R. 462 (prsupreme 1911).

Opinion

Mr. Justice MacLeary

delivered the opinion of the court.

This suit was brought by Martinez against Pagán, López & Co. to recover a balance of nine hundred and fifty dollars [463]*463($950), alleged to be due on' an account for sugar sold and delivered by plaintiff to defendants. The defendants deny that any sum whatever is owing by them to the plaintiff.

On August 15, 1910, the trial court rendered judgment for the defendants in the following terms:

‘ ‘ This cause was called for hearing on August 11, 1910, the plaintiff appearing by his counsel, the attorneys, Pettingill, Cornwell and Vázquez, and the defendant partnership by its counsel, the attorney, Pascasio Fajardo. After having heard the pleadings, the evidence, and the arguments of counsel, the court reserved its decision.
"It appears from the evidence heard in this case that Angel Martinez executed a contract on May 31, 1910, with Pagán, López & Co., by which plaintiff sold to the defendant partnership 191 sacks of sugar of second and third grades, at $3.70 per hundred weight the second grade, and at $3.10 per hundred weight the third grade, said sugar being deposited with the Mayagiiez Sugar Company for account of Rafael Blanch. Of this sugar the defendant partnership withdrew 76 sacks, until the night of June 9, 1910, when a fire broke out in the warehouse of the Mayagiiez Sugar Company, said sugar having been totally destroyed. It does not appear that said sugar had been weighed after the same was sold to the defendant. The plaintiff alleges that the defendant, Pagan, López & Co., must bear the loss of said merchandise and the latter maintains the contrary, alleging that the sugar had not been either weighed or received. It is evident that between both parties to this action there exists a perfected contract, since both parties agreed as to the thing, the object of the contract, and as to the price thereof, although the merchandise had not been delivered; but we are of the opinion that article 334 of the Code of Commerce applies in this case, which prescribes that the damages and impairment suffered by merchandise, even though it be by reason of an incidental cause, shall be for the account of the vendor if the "sale took place by number, weight, or measure. In conformity .with the letter and spirit of this article, we are of opinion that the risk of the merchandise sold must not be incurred by the buyer until the same has been weighed, counted, or measured. It is not necessary that either the thing or the price shall have been delivered for the contract of purchase and sale to be complete. From the moment it is agreed upon and without any further requirement the contract is complete and the obligations of the parties arise; but the transfer of the property does not exist, in our opinion, until [464]*464the thing has been weighed, counted, or measured, in those cases where article 334 of the Code of Commerce applies.
"In short, we think that there was between the parties a contract of purchase and sale complete but not consummated.
"For the reasons set forth to-day, August 15, 1910, the court decides that the law and the facts are in favor of the defendant, and dismisses the complaint without costs.

From this judgment the plaintiff promptly prosecuted an appeal and in his brief assigns one error, which reads literally as follows: '

"The court erred in considering that between Angel Martinez and Pagan, López & Co. there did not exist a perfect contract of purchase and sale of 191 sacks of sugar at a stipulated price of $3.70 for one kind and $3.10 for the other per hundred weight, with the weight stated in the invoice.”

From the view taken by the trial court and the error assigned by the appellant and presented for decision here the question turns mainly on the facts and the proper interpretation given to the evidence adduced on the trial. Then we must.examine the facts of the case.

The undisputed facts are that Angel Martinez, the plaintiff, had, on May 30, Í910, in the warehouse of the Mayagiiez Sugar Company, in the town of Mayagiiez, (191) one hundred and ninety-one sacks of sugar of two different grades — the second and third. There were. (161) one hundred and sixty-one sacks of the second grade, valued at $3.70 per quintal, and (30) thirty sacks of the third grade, valued at $3.10 per quin-tal. The sacks each weighed about (200) two hundred pounds, more or less.

There is no question that on May 31, 1910, a contract was made between the parties hereto by which plaintiff sold to defendants (191) one hundred and ninety-one sacks of-sugar of the second and third grades at $3.70 and $3.10 per hundred weight, respectively, which sugar was at that time housed in the warehouse of the Mayagiiez Sugar Company. Of this sugar the defendants took out (76) seventy-six sacks [465]*465within 10 days; and on the night of June 9, 1910, a fire occurred in the said warehouse whereby the balance of the sugar was totally destroyed.

It is in regard to this loss by fire that this controversy arose. Each party contends that the other should bear the loss. Then the matter simmers down to the question of whether or not the sugar had been delivered and the transfer of the property completed.

The defendants claim that although the contract was perfected that It was not consummated, and that the 'goods were to'be delivered from time to time as they might be sold, and that the sugar was to be weighed as it should be delivered and paid for at intervals of 10 days, according to the amount thus received and sold by them.

The plaintiff maintains that the sale of the sugar was made as it lay in the warehouse, and that it had already been weighed by the warehouseman and an invoice had been delivered by plaintiff to defendants giving the number of sacks and the weight of each with the grade, price, and other-particulars; that said invoice had been accepted by defendants without protest or objection, and showed the given sum due to be $1,712.13. The trial court took the view contended for by the defendants and rendered judgment accordingly.

On behalf of the plaintiff the witness, Angel Martinez, the plaintiff, testified as follows: ' -

“That he presented to the partner of the firm, Mr. Peregrino Lopez, two samples of sugar, one of 161 sacks of second grade and another of SO sacks of third grade; he took them over to his office; he presented them to him there, and he told him the price of both of them; and Mr. López accepted the price and the quantity of sacks of the two grades, the price of one grade being $3.71, and that of the other $3.10;. that he offered said sugar for sale and they bought it from him, and Mr. López made a note on the same samples of the number of sacks there was of each grade; that the sale was concluded at that same moment; that he only informed them of the place where the sugar was, and it not being a warehouse of his own he told them that he would immediately give notice there that the sugar should be [466]*466placed at their disposal, so that they might dispose of it, and he would charge the same to their account; that the sugar was in the warehouse of the Mayagiiez Sugar Company, from whom he had bought the same; that he bought the sugar from Rafael Blanch, and the latter had bought it from the Mayagiiez Sugar Company; that he then informed Mr.

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Bluebook (online)
17 P.R. 462, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/martinez-v-pagan-prsupreme-1911.