Santiago Ferrer v. Rodríguez Cintrón

72 P.R. 253
CourtSupreme Court of Puerto Rico
DecidedMarch 14, 1951
DocketNo. 10299
StatusPublished

This text of 72 P.R. 253 (Santiago Ferrer v. Rodríguez Cintrón) 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
Santiago Ferrer v. Rodríguez Cintrón, 72 P.R. 253 (prsupreme 1951).

Opinion

Mr. Justice Snyder

delivered the opinion of the Court.

Dolores Santiago Ferrer sued Eduvigis Rodriguez Cin-tron praying for a judgment that the defendant be required to transfer title to a certain lot and house to the conjugal partnership consisting of the plaintiff and his wife. The complaint alleged that the plaintiff and his wife had been married for 25 years; that in 1944 the plaintiff bought a certain lot in the name of the defendant and had the deed therefor executed as though the defendant were the true vendee; that the plaintiff put the lot in the name of the defendant in order that she might be the depositary thereof and hold it for the conjugal partnership consisting of the plaintiff and his wife, with the understanding that she would return it as soon as requested by the plaintiff; that the plaintiff has made such requests, which the defendant has refused ; that the plaintiff built a house on the lot with money belonging to the conjugal partnership; and that the plaintiff has always been in possession of the lot and house since the purchase of the former and the construction of the latter.

After a trial on the merits, the lower court entered judgment for the plaintiff. The district court made the following findings of fact:

“1. The plaintiff was and is married to Ana Negrón Muñiz.
“2. Prior to the date when the plaintiff persuaded the defendant to become his mistress, the plaintiff bought the lot described in the fifth paragraph of the amended complaint from Deogracia Viera Sosa.
“3. The money with which the plaintiff paid for the said lot was money obtained by the plaintiff by his labor or industry after he was married, that is, it belonged to the conjugal partnership constituted between him and Ana Negrón Muñiz from the date of their marriage.
“4. The property in question is correctly described in the complaint.
[256]*256“5. The plaintiff built a dwelling, with money belonging to the conjugal partnership, on the lot bought by the plaintiff from Deogracia Viera Sosa.
“6. After the plaintiff succeeded in persuading the defendant to live with him in concubinage, the plaintiff, subject to the offer by her that she would conduct herself properly, offered to make a gift to her of the lot with the house built thereon.
“7. On July 12, 1944 Deogracia Viera Sosa and his wife executed deed of sale No. 64 before Notary Public Pablo Juan y Toro in which Deogracia Viera Sosa and wife and the defendant Eduvigis Rodríguez Cintron appear making a contract of sale by which Eduvigis Rodríguez Cintron acquired the lot described in the fifth paragraph of the amended complaint, there appearing in the said deed statements of the defendant and the vendors that the purchase price, $350, had been received by the vendors prior to the execution of the deed.
“8. The plaintiff made an oral gift to the defendant of the real property, consisting of the lot and house, which the plaintiff had acquired and constructed with money of the conjugal partnership.
“9. The defendant abandoned the said house, where she had lived with the plaintiff in concubinage, and the latter took possession thereof, renting it and collecting the rent to date.
“10. After the defendant learned from Ledo. Francisco Her-nández Vargas that the plaintiff had called on the defendant to transfer the house to the conjugal partnership administered by him, she then made a deed of construction and filed an unlawful detainer suit against the tenant.” 1

In its conclusions of law, the district court stated that, in view of the foregoing facts, the conveyance of the lot by the vendor to the defendant was null because it was an attempt by the plaintiff to make a gift to the defendant of real estate of the conjugal partnership without the consent of his wife, which is prohibited by §§ 91 and 1313 of the Civil Code,

[257]*2571930 ed.2 The lower court then went on to point out that even assuming that the gift in the present case were permitted by law, the gift would be null and void because of the failure to comply with $ 575 of the Civil Code.3 In support of its position, the lower court cited Couverthie v. Santiago, 62 P.R.R. 753.4

The district court rejected the contention of the defendant that only the plaintiff’s wife or his heirs could seek revocation of the gift under § 586-98 of the Civil Code. The [258]*258position of the court was that revocation of a gift was not involved; that on the contrary the problem was nonéxistence of a gift for failure to comply with § 575; and that this could be raised by anyone with an interest, in contrast to the question of voidability, which could not be raised by the person who causes the same.

On appeal, the defendant assigns ten errors. The first assignment is that the lower court erred in denying the defendant’s motion to eliminate from the complaint the allegations that the plaintiff and his wife had been married for 25 years; that all their property was community property; and that the plaintiff bought the lot for $350 which belonged to the conjugal partnership. The theory of the plaintiff was that under the facts alleged by him the defendant held the lot in trust for the conjugal partnership under a constructive trust. As already noted, the lower court entered judgment for the plaintiff under a different theory; namely, that the plaintiff had attempted to make a nonexistent gift to the defendant of community property. However, under either theory the allegations in question were relevant to the dispute between the parties. The lower court therefore properly overruled the motion to eliminate. In any-event, we fail to see any prejudice to the defendant even if these allegations had been redundant or immaterial. 2 Moore’s Federal Practice, 2nd ed., p. 2318.

The second assignment is that the lower court erred in overruling the motion to make the complaint more definite. Such a motion, under Rule 12(e) of the Rules of Civil Procedure, has the same purpose as a motion for a bill of particulars. 2 Moore, supra, p. 2293. It may be granted only when the pleading is so vague and uncertain that the opposing party cannot adequately prepare a responsive pleading. 2 Moore, supra, p. 2303 et seq. And here the complaint was sufficient to require an answer. Heirs of Romero v. District Court, 71 P.R.R. 762. The motion was therefore properly denied. Moreover, even if the motion had been [259]*259meritorious, the defendant suffered no prejudice from the denial thereof.

We think it appropriate to add that the Rules contemplate simple and relatively brief pleadings. Here the defendant was seeking information of an evidentiary nature.5 She was entitled to it, and could have obtained it prior to trial by depositions, discovery and interrogatories. Water Resources Authority v. District Court, 66 P.R.R. 796. But she could not encumber the pleadings with the details of the evidence by moving to make the complaint more definite or by asking for a bill of particulars. 2 Moore, supra, p. 2279 et seq.; Water Resources Authority v.

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Bluebook (online)
72 P.R. 253, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/santiago-ferrer-v-rodriguez-cintron-prsupreme-1951.