Puigdollers v. Monroig

14 P.R. 195
CourtSupreme Court of Puerto Rico
DecidedMarch 24, 1908
DocketNo. 131
StatusPublished

This text of 14 P.R. 195 (Puigdollers v. Monroig) 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
Puigdollers v. Monroig, 14 P.R. 195 (prsupreme 1908).

Opinion

Mr. Justice HeRNÁNdez

delivered the opinion of the court.

Under date of November 14, 1905, Georgina Puigdollers Molina brought suit in the District Court of San Juan against Antonio Monroig Obrador, praying'that he be adjudged to deliver to the plaintiff as ganancial property accumulated during their marriage which had been theretofore dissolved, the sum of $9,248.25, and that, in case he should contest the suit, whatever amount should-appear to be due her, after a liquidation of such property to be made under the direction of the court, and that he be adjudged to pay all the costs.

Georgina Puigdollers set up, as the fundamental fact upon which her claim was based, the following:

“1. That, on November 6, 1904, she was united in marriage to Antonio'Monroig Obrador, which marriage was dissolved at her instance by judgment rendered by the District Court of San Juan on September 28, 1905, entered the 6th of October folowing, and which became final on November 5 of the said year.

“ 2.. That, at the time of their marriage, Monroig Obrador was a member of the agricultural and industrial firm operating in Bayamon under the firm name of “Antonio Monroig é ITijosJ constituted by public deed executed on February 26, 1903, for a term of five years, which commenced to run on February 1 of the said year and terminated December 31, 1908; that the spouses, Antonio Monroig Oliver and Josefa Obrador y Vila and their children, Antonio, the defendant herein, and Valentin Monroig Obrador, were the members of the said firm, the purposes of which were the planting of canes, the manufacture of sugar therefrom, stock raising, purchase and sale of stock, the sale of milk, and other similar branches.

[197]*197“3. That, by virtue of the said deed, the firm acquired the right of usufruct for a term of years in several rural properties and among these the Central ‘Juanita,’ which was contributed to the said firm by Antonio Monroig Oliver, together with its factories, buildings, machinery and equipment, the cattle thereto belonging, consisting of 747 head, and all of the cane plantation, not only on the properties owned by Monroig Oliver but also others held under leases consisting in all of 434.71 cuerdas.

“4. That it was agreed that from the proceeds of the milk six thousand ($6,000) dollars should be withdrawn annually and paid to Antonio Monroig Oliver, and that by reason of the death of the latter, to his widow, Josefa Obrador y Yilá as the representative of his estate, that amount not being considered as profits of the firm, the only profits from that source being the excess obtained over and above said amount; that it was further agreed that each of the members of the firm, Antonio and Valentin Monroig Obrador, should receive 10 per cent of the net profits, the remaining 80 per cent going to the other member, Antonio Monroig Oliver, and, by reason of his death to his estate, represented by his widow.

“5. That the firm, ‘Antonio Monriog é Hijos,’ was bound to deliver, upon its dissolution, to Antonio Monroig Oliver, all of the properties contributed by him thereto — that is to say the rural estates described in the partnership contract — together with everything thereon situated, all of the cattle, and 434.71 cuerdas of sugar-cane, and that such property should be returned in the same state or condition in which they were contributed to the said firm.

“6. That Antonio Monroig Oliver died on April 20, 1903, leaving a will executed February 23 of the same year, wherein he stated that his first and only marriage was to Josefa Obra-dor y .Vila and that he had, by such marriage, four children named Juan, Antonio, Valentín and Maria Monroig Obrador; that all of his property was ganancial property; that he left [198]*198no bequests and appointed as Ms sole and universal heirs, in equal shares, his four children above mentioned, and his wife as usufructary heir, in accordance with the provisions of section 834 of the Civil Code of Spain, of which country he was a citizen.

“7. That, during the year Georgina Puigdollers Molina was married to Antonio Monroig Oliver, the firm of ‘Antonio Monroig é Hijos’ did a business which, to the best of her information, and subject to the result'of the evidence, produced a net profit of $19,381.50; that deducting from this amount $885 spent during the marriage, there remained a net profit to be divided between the spouses, amounting to $18,496.50— that is to say, $9,248.25 for each, which is the amount claimed by the plaintiff, reserving the right to any greater amount, if such be shown by the evidence to be due her.”

Antonio Monroig, in answering the complaint, admitted the fact of his marriage to Georgina Puigdollers, which took place on November 6, 1904, the constitution of the firm of “ Antonio Monroig é Hijos” by a deed of February 26, 1903, and the death of Antonio Monroig Oliver on April 28, 1903, and that he left a will executed February 23 of the said year and added, as fundamental' facts, serving as a basis for his answer to the complaint, the following:

“1. That in the deed constituting the firm of “Antonio Monroig é Hijos,’ to continue in existence for five years, and to terminate on December 31,1908, it was stipulated that during the existence of the partnership, Antonio Monroig or his wife should receive for personal expenses, and the support of the family, at any time, or on any date, such amounts as might be necessary without any limitation whatsoever, such amount to be charged to his private account; while Antonio and Valentin Monroig Obrador were each permitted to withdraw for their personal expenses, to be charged to their private accounts, the sum of $25 per month only.

[199]*199‘‘2. That the basis of plaintiff’s demand in determining the ganancial property is erroneous because admitting that the litigants were married on November 5,_ 1904, and that the only ganancial property was that obtained from the firm of 'Antonio Monroig é Hijos,’ those facts must be accepted with all their consequences; and, as on the date mentioned, sugar cane in Porto Pico is ready to be harvested and manufactured into sugar, it is necessary to deduct from the profits the value of such plantation on November 6,1904, which amounted to $45,-500 and to this amount must be added the value of the cattle produced or raised during the year of the marriage, which was only about 70 head, valued at $400, and that, during that year, Antonio Monroig expended $3,000 to defray the expenses of the conjugal partnership.

‘ ‘ 3. That the will of Antonio Monroig Oliver must be harmonized with the provisions of the Civil Code in force in the year 1903, when he died, and thereafter, the provision of that article of said code, which provides that the widow shall have a right to the usufruct of one-third of the real estate left by her husband must be applied, and the interested parties agree in recognizing this right in their mother, Josefa Obrador.

“4.- That the profits derived from the operation of the Central ‘Juanita’ during 1905 having amounted to.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
14 P.R. 195, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/puigdollers-v-monroig-prsupreme-1908.