Sánchez v. Vadi

25 P.R. 519
CourtSupreme Court of Puerto Rico
DecidedJuly 13, 1917
DocketNo. 1608
StatusPublished

This text of 25 P.R. 519 (Sánchez v. Vadi) 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
Sánchez v. Vadi, 25 P.R. 519 (prsupreme 1917).

Opinion

Mb. Justice del Tobo

delivered the opinion of the court.

This is a case of intervention in ownership. A levy in execution of a certain judgment having been made upon an urban property as belonging to José Sánchez Gil, the plaintiffs alleged that they and not Sánchez Gil. were the owners thereof. The plaintiffs brought their action (against Luis Vadi, the plaintiff in whose favor the said • judgment was rendered, against the marshal who made the levy and against Sánchez Gil. Only defendant Vadi answered and appeared at the trial. He denied the allegations of the plaintiffs and pleaded as new matter of defense that the contract under which the plaintiffs appear to have acquired the ownership of the house in question was simulated. The court held against the plaintiffs on the following findings of fact:

“I. That by a public instrument executed before Notary Rodolfo Ramirez Vigo of Mayagiiez on March 25, 1909, and recorded in the registry of property of this district on April 7 of the same year, defendant José Sánchez Gil purchased from Juan Ramón Villafaña the following urban property: (Description).
“II. That it was recited in the said deed (Exhibit ‘B’ of the plaintiffs) that the purchase price of said property was paid to the vendor by said José Sánchez Gil prior to the execution of the deed; that ‘the vendee José Sánchez Gil’ might enter into possession of the said property without any other formality than the execution of the said deed; that the sale was contracted with the defendant Sánchez Gil and made to him for his then minor children, the plaintiffs herein.
“III. That this same property was acquired by Juan Ramón Villafaña from said José Sánchez Gil on the day before the said sale by the former to the latter by another public instrument executed before the same notary, which was also recorded in the registry of property on the same date, both sales having been made for the same price (Exhibit ‘A’ of the plaintiffs).
“IV. The plaintiffs introduced no evidence regarding the origin or source of the money with which the said purchase was made, although they alleged in their complaint that it was inherited by them from their mother, Carmen Aleguin, who acquired it as ganan-cial property during her wedlock with the said José Sánchez Gil. [521]*521Nor is there any evidence in regard to the allegation made in their complaint to the effect that they have enjoyed the usufruct of the property under the administration of their said father, José Sánchez Gil, defendant herein.
“V. The court finds that the said described property was levied on by the marshal of this court, Nestor Gregory, under a writ of execution issued in Case No. 5098, which was also prosecuted in this court by Luis Yadi against José Sánchez Gil, to satisfy the judgment rendered therein, and that the said marshal advertised the said property for sale at public auction.
“VI. In such circumstances and considering the pleadings of the plaintiffs and of defendant Luis Yadi, the only defendant who answered the complaint, and further considering the evidence as a whole, the court reaches the conclusion that the money with- which the property in controversy was acquired for the plaintiffs belonged to their father, defendant José Sánchez Gil, and that therefore the purchase was made with his funds.”

The plaintiffs took the present appeal, claiming that the court had committed the following four errors: (1) In holding that the property in question had always belonged to Sánchez Gil and not to the plaintiffs; (2) in ordering the cancellation of the record in the registry in the names of the plaintiffs; (3) in ordering a new record to he entered in the name of Sánchez Gil, and (4) in imposing upon the plaintiffs the costs, disbursements and attorney fees.

It should be observed that the only data we have for deciding this appeal are the pleadings of the parties and the judgment of the court. The evidence examined has not been brought up to this court. Having made this observation, we will proceed to consider the errors assigned.

1. It was alleged in the complaint that the money with "which the plaintiffs purchased the house came from their maternal inheritance. The plaintiffs, with the exception of one who was emancipated by marriage, are minors and the purchase was effected under the conditions set forth in Clause II of the findings of fact of the district court.- The father appears as the purchaser for his children. ' In these circumstances it was incumbent upon the plaintiffs not only [522]*522to allege but to prove at tlie trial — wMcb tliey did not do, according to the trial court — the origin of the money with which the purchase was made.

The law applicable to this matter is contained in sections 225, 226 and 227 of the Civil Code, which are the same as articles 160, 161 and 162 of the Spanish Civil Code. In commenting on the latter Manresa says:

“From the wording of the three articles on which we are commenting it is deduced that, unlike our old law which is derived from the Roman law, they do not refer to the person through whom the property is acquired, but principally to the origin of the acquisition, and when, for instance, a contract of purchase and sale is involved, it is indispensable to know whence proceeds the money paid for the property, as the rights of the child vary considerably according to whether the money belongs to the parents, or is acquired by his own labor, or was bequeathed to him by a third person. If these elements are lacking, what course should be pursued? Our jurisprudence, particularly the decision of January 14, 1861, has established ‘that property, purchased by an unemancipated child cannot be deemed his separate property unless he prove that he earned the purchase price by his own industry or acquired it by some of the other means prescribed by law.’ Therefore, generalizing this principle, in order that the right of a child to property acquired by him may be recognized he must show, in case of litigation, that he is entitled to such 'right.” II Manresa, Spanish Civ. Code, 34.

The judgment of the Supreme Court of Spain cited by Manresa was based on the following facts: José Pajares owed Manuel Rodriguez a.certain sum of money and conveyed to him two houses and an orchard in settlement. On the next day Rodriguez executed another instrument, stating that he had accepted the said sale from and in the name of Felipe Pajares, a son of the vendor, who had paid him the amount due from his father with private funds and money acquired by his labor, of which he could dispose. An execution issued against José Pajares in an action brought by Ramona Sánchez and others, and the houses and orchard [523]*523were advertised for sale as belonging to .José Pajares. Thereupon Felipe Pajares, the son, brought an action of intervention based upon the deeds referred to. The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment dismissing the action of intervention on the following ground:

“Considering that the present appeal is based upon the violation of Law V, Title XVII, Partida

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Bluebook (online)
25 P.R. 519, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sanchez-v-vadi-prsupreme-1917.