Vázquez v. Santalís
Vázquez v. Santalís
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the court.
The complaint in this case, which is styled one in revindication and claim of fruits, sets up substantially that the complainant is assignee of José, Bernardo and Matea Olivares y Velez; that Ramón Olivares y (Jarcia died testate on the 15th of March, 1894, leaving five children by his first wife, namely, Julio, Maria, Julio Segundo, Ramón and Guillermo; that by Ms second wife, Monserrate Velez, he had six children, Bernardo, Matea, José, Hipólito, María and Ramona; that among other things his property consisted of the farm Camila and that he made his said eleven children his heirs; that on the 26th of August, 1895, there was an extrajudicial inventory and valuation of the property, the widow intervening in representation of herself and her minor cMlclren, Julio Olivares for himself and in representation of the other minor children and Joaquin Francisco Santalís in representation of some minor children, grandchildren of the testator; that on the same day similarly a partition of the property took place; that there was adjudicated to Luis Pío Santalís, who was neither an heir nor a testamentary creditor, a piece of realty in the sum of $20,324.53 to pay the debts of the estate, namely,
- There was demurrer to this complaint, which was overruled, and we shall consider two grounds of it: 1st, that there was no cause of action; 2nd, that the action, being one of nullity, had prescribed by virtue of section 1268 of the Civil Code.
After the decision in Longpré v. Díaz, 237 U. S. 512, this
The complaint does not state a cause of action. If it be examined it will be seen that in no place does it describe exactly what the possession of Santalis is to-day and yet the complaint shows that other parts of the property were assigned to him. The complaint is deficient as a complaint in revindication, inasmuch as the share of the complainant, divided or undivided, is absolutely undetermined. Assuming that complainant has rights of the children whose shares he bought, they would have no action in revindication because the complaint makes- no attempt to reduce their shares to certainty. The complaint fails to locate the other portions of
We are utterly nnable to tell from the complaint what portion or even what “ideal” portion belonged to the assignors of Vázquez at the time of the institution of the suit. The theory of the complaint was that the 64/100 parts be returned, not to Vázquez, nor yet to his assignors, but to all the heirs. And it was clear that Santalis had as much, if not more, right to the 64/100 parts by reason alone of the transfers to him by the other heirs, to say nothing of claims for debts.
It may be seriously doubted, and our jurisprudence strongly tends to support the doubt, whether in any event an action of revindication would lie by one owner in common against another owner in common. These assignments to Santalis are not alone to the parts which had been adjudicated to the respective heirs by the original partition deed, but all- the right, title and interest of the sued heirs. Hence it is perfectly clear from the complaint that the right of Santalis, acquired by assignment from the heirs who conveyed to him, is exactly of the same nature as the rights assigned to Váz-quez. If Vázquez has a claim to the adjudicated part of 64/100 of the farm Camila, so has Santalis. And something more should have been done, in any event, to enable a marshal to execute a judgment on the demurrer if it is a suit in re-vindication.
The only way to regard the facts of the complaint to give it any.real vitality is to consider it an action of nullity. In form it is necessarily so. That last statement of fact sets up the nullity; the prayer is for nullity, and the court, at the instance of the complainant, so declares it. An action of nullity it is, and as such it has prescribed.
After the demurrer was overruled the defendants answered. Among other things, they set up a plea of acquisitive possession.
Coming to other points developed at the trial, it is admitted that Santalís is in possession of the whole property. The will was offered in evidence. The testator devised the part of free disposition to his wife. That part was also acquired by Santalís in the transfer to him by Monserrate Vélez. The partition deed was offered in evidence. From it the fact appears that each of the predecessors in title of Fernando Váz-quez, the alleged minor heirs, received an “ideal” portion of the land in controversy. They accepted this portion and it was sold to Santalís. Was the partition deed of 1895 an entirety, or was it susceptible of segregation in part? A partition deed, interlocked as it is, must be an entirety. At least one who relies on the destruction of a part must show that that part can he segregated without destroying the whole. Here everybody, complainant, defendant and heirs in general, accepted and acted'under the partition deed. No action can lie in this case which does not contemplate the destruction of the whole testamentary proceedings. There is not the faintest suggestion, moreover, that the said minor heirs, long since of age, are offering to put into hotchpot the portions acquired by them. So that the only proper action that could lie under
There is, too, the matter of affirmance or renunciation of rights. By taking under this partition deed and by specifically never disaffirming any part of it within four years after they became of age, the minors renounced whatever rights they had. At the date of the said partition deed in 1895 the youngest of the minors, assignors of Vázquez, was eight years old. Hence he was 29 years old when this suit was brought.
The judgment should be reversed and one rendered for defendant.
Reversed and substituted.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.