Ruiz v. G. Llinás & Co.

31 P.R. 45
Supreme Court of Puerto Rico·Decided July 18, 1922·No. No. 2471·Published

Opinion

Mb. Justice Aldbet

delivered the opinion of the court.

In her own right and in the names of her minor children [46]*46Juana Ruiz Agostini brought an action against the firm of G-. Llinás & Co. The defendants demurred on the ground that the complaint did not state facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action and the court sustained the demurrer, granting leave to the plaintiffs to amend the c'omplaint. The plaintiffs waived their privilege to amend and moved for judgment, whereupon the court rendered judgment dismissing the complaint for the lack of a cause of action. From that judgment the plaintiffs raised this appeal.

The action is called an action of revendication and the complaint sets up the following allegations:

“As a first cause of action: — 1. That the plaintiffs named Agostini y Ruiz are unemancipated minors, except Maria Trinidad who is a minor emancipated by marriage represented by her said mother, Juana Ruiz Agostini, who has patria pot estas over the other plaintiffs named Agostini, all being legitimate children of the said Juana Ruiz Agostini and her deceased husband, Gerónimo Agos-tini. — Plaintiff Juana Ruiz Agostini is of lawful age. —• 2. That the defendant is a mercantile partnership of Yauco, F. R., organized under the Code of Commerce of Porto Rico. — 3. That on July 12th G. Llinás & Company brought an action against the plaintiffs herein to recover the sum of $1,229.94, together with interest, costs, disbursements and attorney fees. — 4. That on July 23, 1917, Jacinto Román delivered to Juana Ruiz Agostini in Yauco copies of the complaint and summons, but neither he nor any other person summoned personally or in any manner the other defendants in the said action, the minors Pedro, Aquilino, María Trinidad, Ramona, Gerónimo, Angela, Maria Magdalena, Maria Elena and Juana Josefa Agostini. — 5. That at the instance of the plaintiff firm the default of Juana Ruiz Agostini and Pedro Aquiles, Maria Trinidad, Ramona, Gerónimo, Angel, Maria Magdalena, Maria Elena and Juana Josefa Agostini y Ruiz was noted on August 30, 1917, and on September 6 the clerk entered judgment against Juana Ruiz Agostini, Pedro, Aquilino, known as Aquiles, Maria Trinidad, Ramona, Gerónimo, Angela, Maria Magdalena, Maria Elena and Juana Josefa Agostini y Ruiz, and' on October 29, 1917, a writ of execution was issued against Juana Ruiz Agostini individually and as mother with patria potestas over her minor children Pedro Agos-tini y Ruiz and others for the sum of $1,224.94, and, without pre[47]*47vious attachment and in compliance with the said writ of execution, on November 23 the marshal of this court sold to G. Llinás & Company for the sum of $600, which was not paid in cash, but credited to the judgment debtor, the following property of the value of $10,000: Farm property of 170 acres, equivalent to 66 hectares, 81 ares and 66 centiares, of coffee land in the ward' of Rubias of the municipality of Yaueo, bounded on the north by lands of Tomás Garrosi and of José Agostini López; on the east by lands of the heirs of Antonio Giovanetti and Natalio Pietri & Co.; on the south by property of Natalio Pietri & Co., and the heirs of Cas-tañer and on the west by property of the heirs of Castañer and of Tomás Garrosi. This property contains a frame dwelling house roofed with zinc, another building for coffee machinery and five cottages for laborers.
“As a second cause of action. — 6. That upon being summoned in the action referred to in the first cause of action, Juana Ruiz Agos-tini. went to the office of the firm of G. Llinás & Co. in Yauco and was told by one of the partners, Antonio Oliver, that the action was a mere formality in order to secure the account of the plaintiffs; that she need not make any defense; that the purpose of the plaintiffs was to purchase, the property under execution, manage it for four years in order to collect their account from the proceeds of the crops and then return it to the defendants, the widow and heirs of Gerónimo- Agostini and plaintiffs in this action. — 7. That Juana Ruiz Agostini accepted this arrangement in good faith and entered no appearance in the action of debt referred to in the first cause of action, consenting to a default judgment therein and the sale of the property. — 8. That in pursuance of the said arrangement and by a written order of defendants G. Llinás & Co., the widow of Agostini delivered the property described in the first cause-'.of action to Francisco Román on September 18, 1917, although it had not been sold, and G. Llinás & Company have been in possession of it and received its products since that time. — 9. That after the said firm had been in possession of the property for about two years, Jaime Castañer, a partner of G. Llinás & Company, called at the house of Juana Ruiz Agostini and told her that the products of the property had not been sufficient to cover the credit of the said firm and proposed to her to sell the property, pay the balance of the debt with a part of the price and purchase with the remainder a property for the heirs of Gerónimo Agostini, executing a deed in their favor and putting them in possession. — 10. That Juana [48]*48Ruiz Agostini accepted this new proposition with, the understanding that the property would be sold for at least $10,000, which was and' still is a fair and reasonable price therefor. — 11. That G. Llinás & Co. sold the said property to Anton Julio Mattei, without the knowledge or consent of the plaintiffs, for the sum of $6,500, according to information and belief, and placed the vendee in possession, delivering to Juana Ruiz another property which G. Llinás & Company valued at $4,000, but which is worth only $2,000, without the execution of a deed. — 12. That G-. Llinás & Company rendered no account of the rents and products of the property belonging to the heirs of Gerónimo Agostini of which they took possession for the purpose of applying its products to the payment of the debt of $1,200, either to Juana Ruiz Agostini or to any of the heirs, nor of the price at which the property was sold. — By virtue of all that has been stated, we pray the court: 1st. To set aside the default judgment entered in the said case and the sale of the property described in the complaint in consequence of the said judgment. 2. To adjudge that the defendants restore the said property to the plaintiffs, or in default thereof to pay them the sum of $10,000 which was its value. — 3. To adjudge that the said defendants pay the plaintiffs -for the profits obtained, or that might have been obtained', from the said property from September 18, 1917, rendering an exact, itemized and verified account thereof.— 4. To impose upon the defendants the payment- of the costs,, disbursements and attorney fees.”

The only error assigned by the appellants is that of having sustained the demurrer that the complaint did not state facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action and rendered judgment against the plaintiffs.

From its title, allegations and prayer, the complaint clearly sets up an action of revendic'ation, because it is based on the allegation that in tbe action brought by Gr. Llinás & Co. which originated the forced sale of the property the minor children of Juana Ruiz were not summoned, and prays for the restitution of the property or the payment of its value.

According to section 93 of the Code of Civil Procedure, defendants must be summoned personally and when a de[49]

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Ruiz v. G. Llinás & Co., 31 P.R. 45 (prsupreme 1922).

31 P.R. 45 (Ruiz v. G. Llinás & Co.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.