de Ezquiaga v. Munítiz
de Ezquiaga v. Munítiz
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the court.
By a public instrument executed in this city before Juan B anión de Torres, a notary of the same, on November 30, 1903, the commercial company doing business in the city of San Juan under the firm name of Sobrinos de Ezquiaga and Modesto Munitiz Aguirre, entered into a contract in which it was set forth that the company aforesaid owned two
1. That the firm of Sobrinos de Ezquiaga would at once open a credit to the extent of 25,000 pesos, commercial money, in favor of Modesto Munitiz y Aguirre, which they would deliver to him in cash, according to his orders and drafts, and in provisions and merchandise as he might call therefor for his business, which would be charged to him on the account current which would be opened for the purpose.
2. That Munitiz bound himself in turn to pay also on account partial sums in such manner as he might find most-convenient, for the purpose of settling his indebtedness, and that as long as he complied with this obligation the company would in its turn continue to make to him the deliveries he might require for his establishment, so that he would always have a stock on hand.
3. That no term for the duration of this contract was fixed, but the firm of Sobrinos de Ezquiaga, when it considered it advisable to its interests, would give six months' notice to Munitiz for the full settlement of the balance in its favor under • the account current, which balance was to be paid by Munitiz.
'5. That the profit' which Munitiz might derive from his business should be distributed in the following manner: 50 per cent to him and the other 50 per cent to the firm of Sobrinos de Ezquiaga, in compensation for the benefit accruing to Munitiz through nonpayment of interest for the credit opened in his favor by said firm and the usufruct which the firm granted him of its two houses.
6. That whenever Munitiz should strike any balance in his business, he would advise the firm in order that it might be done with its knowledge and intervention; and, finally, that if Munitiz should find a larger credit to be necessary than 25,000 pesos agreed on, and Sobrinos de Ezquiaga should have no objection to furnishing it, the credit would be so extended, the excess being charged on account current under stipulations and guarantees similar to those embodied in said instrument.
Ten years after the date of this document, that is to say, on May 7, 1904, the firm of Sobrinos de Ezquiaga, as the successor and liquidator of the former firm of the same name, brought an action in the former District Court of San Juan, producing a copy of the aforesaid instrument, against Modesto Munitiz y Aguirre, setting forth in the complaint the facts above mentioned and adding, furthermore, that in compliance with the stipulations of said instrument, the firm of Sobrinos de Ezquiaga had been meeting the drafts and filling the orders and demands of Munitiz, charging them to him on account, as well as properly crediting him with the
In a supplementary prayer the complainant company requested that, in accordance with the provisions of the act passed by the Legislative Assembly of this Island to insure the effectiveness of judgments the court should make an order to insure the effectiveness of the judgment which might be rendered in due time in this action, directing the attachment of property of the defendant to the extent of $20,000, estimated to be sufficient for the purpose mentioned, and that its alienation should be prohibited. To this end the company designated several estates and credits belonging to Munitiz, which appeared recorded in his favor in the Registry of Property of Guay ama,' and referred' to the allegations of fact and the law set forth in the body of the complaint. The
The order of attachment prayed for having been issued by the District Court of San Juan, and the case having been transferred to' the District Court of Gruayama, without the reason for such action appearing of record, the defendant Modesto Munitiz, with his counsel Luis Muñoz Morales, appeared before the said court and filed a motion to dissolve the attachment levied, alleging in support thereof that, it being-necessary to liquidate the account current between Munitiz and the firm of Sobrinos de Ezquiaga to determine the share due said company from the profits, in accordance with the fifth clause of the contract of November 30, 1893, the amount to which the plaintiff company might be entitled was there-fore unknown, and consequently the attachment was void in accordance with the jurisprudence established by the Supreme Court of California, according to which it was necessary that a debt should be specific before an attachment could issue; that said contract not having fixed the time when Munitiz was to make the liquidation, nor having been called on previously to do so, it could not be maintained that he
Objection having been made to the motion by the complainant company, the court rendered its decision on October 31st, last, holding “that the law and the facts are against the motion” and, therefore, denied it with the costs against the defendant.
An appeal from this decision having been taken by the defendant Munltiz, and said appeal having been duly per
The question at issue in this appeal being thus stated, the only thing to be determined is whether, in view of the facts in the case and the terms of the complaint, the attachment of the property decreed by the Distinct Court of San Juan to secure the effectiveness of the judgment which might be rendered in this case in due time, should or should not have been levied. The undersigned justice is of the opinion that the attachment was properly levied.
It is evident that the recovery of a specific sum is not sought in the complaint, as objected by counsel for the appellant; but if this is true, it is also true that in this case it is not necessary that the sum be specific in order that the attachment may issue.
Upon this point section 1 of the Act of the Legislative Assembly of this Island of March 1, 1902, to secure the effectiveness of - judgments, is conclusive. This section provides: “Every person who shall bring an action for the fulfillment of any obligation may obtain an order from the court having cognizance of the suit providing that the proper measures lie taken to secure the effectiveness of the jugdment as the case may require, should it be rendered in its favor.”
It is very clear, therefore, that the law does not require that a specific debt or sum be demanded, but that it is sufficient that the fulfillment of an obligation be demanded, whatever be its nature, whether the sum be specific or indefinite, or an obligation to do or not do a thing, or to deliver a sum of money or a specific thing, in order that it may be requested and may grant a precautionary measure to secure the effectiveness of the judgment which may be rendered, as the case may be.
Nor is it necessary that the obligation be past due, in the sense expressed by counsel for the appellant, that is to say, that it may be enforced immediately, because what is
Section 3 of the instrument of November 30, 1903, which forms the basis of the contract, a compliance with which is involved, clearly stipulated that no term for the duration of said contract was established, but that it was left to the will of Sobrinos de Ezquiaga, the only condition imposed on them being that of giving six months’ notice in advance to Munitiz for the settlement of the balance in favor of the firm in the account current between them by reason of the credit opened in favor of Munitiz by the plaintiff company; but this condition is not applicable to the other obligations imposed by the instrument upon Munitiz, so that if, according to the agreement the contract did not have a fixed term of duration, but it was left to the will of Sobrinos de Ezquiaga to terminate it whenever they should consider it in furtherance of their interests, without any further restriction than to demand of Munitiz the settlement of his account. current, for which it was necessary to give him an advance notice of six months, which is not exactly the object of the complaint. It appears, without it being understood thereby, that the question has been prejudged, that all the other obligations, which it is sought to enforce against Munitiz, are demandable under the contract; and as, on the other hand, all the other requisites of the said act of the Legislative Assembly for the effectiveness of judgments contained ■ in section 3 thereof have been complied with, and as the attachment decreed to secure the effectiveness of the judgment which may be rendered in this case does not appear to be excessive, in view of the large movement of funds shown by the accounts presented by Sobrinos' de Ezquiaga, during the long period of time during which Munitiz has been disposing of the credit
Affirmed.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.