Moreno v. Martínez

7 P.R. 486
Supreme Court of Puerto Rico·Decided November 23, 1904·No. No. 19·Published

Opinion

Me. Justice MacLeaey

delivered the opinion of the conrt.

This is an action of unlawful detainer. A tract of land containing 54 acres was the property of ,J. J. Moreno, brother of the plaintiff, who mortgaged it to the defendant for a certain sum. ITe afterwards became indebted to the plaintiff in the sum of $2,000 and gave notes for it. The plaintiff attached the farm, and registered her attachment, and notified defendant. Afterwards J. J. Moreno sold the farm to defendant in payment of the mortgage debt and another unsecured debt. -Plaintiff proceeded with the foreclosure of the attachment, and on third sale the farm was struck off to her for debt and interest and costs. After several unsuccessful motions and suits by Martinez, Mrs. Moreno brought this action of unlawful detainer, stating the facts. Martinez answered, making an effort to foreclose his mortgage or to reinstate the case as it stood before the attachment proceedings began.

On an oral trial the court by a unanimous decision, after reciting the facts, draws conclusions of law to the following effect:

First. That according to article 1562 of the Code of Civil Procedure the plaintiff could maintain this action of unlawful detainer.

Second. That this action can be brought against any person in possession after one month’s notice under article 1563, paragraph 3, of Code of Civil Procedure.

Third. That the confusion of title causes the extinction of an obligation by uniting in one person the two titles of debtor [488]*488and creditor; and in the present case the mortgage delivered upon the farm in controversy by Señor Moreno in favor of Sr. Martinez became cancelled by confusion, leaving in force the subsequent charges and incumbrances.

Fourth. That Martinez’s mortgage having been once can-celled, he lost the privileges of his credit, and the attachment remained in force against the farm conveyed by Joaquin J. Moreno to his creditor Victor Martinez.

Fifth. That following all the proceedings of foreclosure instituted by Doña Maria Moreno against Joaquín J. Moreno, and the giving to her, after adjudication, possession of the farm attached, the plaintiff acquired the right and title of owner to eject the mortgagee, who by not moving out for a month and not 'having any other title to the property must be considered as a tenant at sufferance. (See decisions ol the Supreme Court of Spain dated 16th November, 1885, and 30th June, 1887.)

Sixth. That if-it is true that one in possession in the capacity of an owner has in his favor the legal presumptions that 'he has possession under a good title and is not obliged to show it; this precept is not applicable to the case at bar, inasmuch as in this case there is no question of title to the property and that the right of the plaintiff by which the defendant is dispossessed has nothing to do with that title.

The court accordingly rendered judgment in favor of the plaintiff and decreed that the defendant within twenty days should vacate the property, and if he should so fail to vacate the same he should be forcibly ejected therefrom, with the imposition of the costs of the proceedings.

From this judgment the defendant took an appeal to this court, and both parties appeared herein by their attorneys on the 7th of October, and argued the case orally and, filed their written arguments, which are made a part of the record, herein. The attorney for the appellant makes the following [489]*489points, referring to the authorities as hereinafter stated, that is to say:

A. He contends that this court is a court of appeals and not of cassation, and is not limited in its deliberations and judgments on-all subjects only to the infractions of the law or breach of form as they have been pointed out by the litigants, but that it may'take into consideration all the facts and proceedings in the cause as they appear in the record, considering each according to its merits, for the better administration of justice and right, and the avoidance of injustice and delay. In support of this proposition, he refers to the law of the Legislative Assembly approved on the 12th of March, 1903.

B. He states that there are presented in this case several points of law and of fact which fall within the letter and the spirit of the law governing appeals, and recites the following facts:

C. By a writing delivered on December 4, 1890, Joaquin Moreno mortgaged the property described in favor of Victor Martínez, and by writing of adjudication dated February 1, 1900, and inscribed in the registry of property, Joaquin Moreno, in payment of the mortgage and interest, delivered the said finca to Victor Martinez, counsel’s father, without the latter having delivered to the said Joaquin Moreno any cancellation, receipt, or acquittance whatsoever, nor giving-express consent, as appears from said writing. He states that the plaintiff and the trial court in the judgment from which this appeal is taken, claim that by virtue of the above writing the mortgage was cancelled by confusion. He states that here lie the most important points of the suit. He defines the word confusion as disorder, etc., citing page 207 of the dictionary of the Spanish language, and states that the word has been incorrectly used in the judgment.

D. He states that obligations may be extinguished by confusion of the rights of the debtor and creditor, and cites [490]*490article 1124 of the Civil Code in support of this statement,-, that a debt may not be considered paid until the thing is. completely delivered, or presentation made of the matter in which the obligation exists, citing article 1125 of the Civil Code; also article 1138 of the same .code; that Joaquín .L Moreno agreed to pay money, and that he has not done so, and that after reading these articles there can be no doubt that the mortgage debt was not paid, and consequently the same could not be cancelled.

E. He states that Joaquin Moreno received from Victor Martínez a certain amount of money to be paid with interest on a certain date, which continued to run on until the date of the said writing of adjudication; that he delivered the farms because the credit amounted to more than the value of of the same, and did not pay the money, wherefore Martinez could not give him an acquittance or cancellation of the mortgage. It is according to law and justice that Moreno not having paid the money, but instead properties, and a debt not being extinguished until the same is paid in full, the same cannot be considered as satisfied, and therefore the debt and the mortgage still exist. This position he claims to be justified under the precepts of the Civil Code.

F. lie argues that if the same question is considered under the Mortgage Law, the same conclusion is reached, or that the debt and the mortgage both still exist, the latter not having-been cancelled.

He cites from the Mortgage Law the following:

“Article 82. Inscriptions, by virtue of public writings, may not be cancelled except with the express consent of the parties.”
“149. Inscriptions of mortgages can be cancelled only in the manner indicated in Article 82.”

He states that in accordance with the above the express consent of the mortgagee was necessary to the cancellation of the mortgage, and the same not having given such consent [491]

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Moreno v. Martínez, 7 P.R. 486 (prsupreme 1904).

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