Caribbean Industries, Inc. v. Camacho García
Caribbean Industries, Inc. v. Camacho García
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the Court.
The plaintiff Caribbean Industries, Inc., maintains two causes of action against Roberto Camacho Garcia. In support of the first it alleges that the latter owes it $4,988.93 for merchandise it sold and delivered to him. In the second it claims payment of $4,000 for merchandise delivered to the defendant on consignment.
The defendant denied all the averments of the complaint and maintained on the contrary that on or about October 30, 1947 the parties agreed that he would represent plaintiff’s products throughout the Island, on an exclusive basis, per payment of a commission of 7 per cent of all the sales made by the latter in Puerto Rico; that in March 1948 they reached an understanding by virtue of which plaintiff would consign on credit with him merchandise valued at $4,000, defendant ’binding himself on his part to answer only for the excess of the aforesaid $4,000, which excess the defendant would pay
The case was heard upon these allegations, both parties introducing abundant oral and documentary evidence in support of their respective contentions. After hearing the evidence, the lower court rendered judgment dismissing the complaint, on the ground that the two causes of action alleged
Plaintiff appealed from that judgment. It charges the lower court with error in dismissing the two causes of action of its complaint on the ground that they were premature and in awarding $250 as fees for defendant’s attorney.
According to the findings of the lower court “the parties agreed on or about March 1948 that plaintiff would deposit on credit with the defendant merchandise valued at $4,000 without any limitation for payment thereof (save in the case that the parties ceased to do business between themselves and after a final liquidation) the defendant binding himself to pay periodically the balance of the aforesaid $4,000. That business between the plaintiff and the defendant continued in this fashion since that date, both parties establishing as a commercial custom the practice that the plaintiff would not present for payment defendant’s checks until he advised it at the proper time;' that in October 1948 the defendant made out four (4) checks in favor of the plaintiff totalling $4,142.58 which the latter presented for payment in bulk, on the same.day, without the usual previous notification to the defendant and without the latter’s advice; that plaintiff violated the commercial custom established to the effect that defendant’s checks would not be presented for payment until plaintiff were notified thereof by the defendant; ... to sum up, that on the date of the filing of the complaint ho cause of action had arisen in favor of the plaintiffs. The court likewise finds that the amount of $4,000 claimed in the second cause of action was a credit given by the plaintiff to the defendant rather than merchandise sold on consignment.” After stating that in commercial contracts, as well as “in civil
We agree with the lower court that if the parties agreed that the checks drawn by the defendant in payment of the merchandise sold to him by the plaintiff in excess of $4,000 should not be presented for payment without the latter having informed the former, such agreement or covenant had legal force between them
On the other hand, the record and the evidence disclose that the sales in excess of $4,000 were to be paid weekly by the defendant. As to these, a current account clearly existed between the parties, the balance of which could be sued for without complying with any prerequisite, since the liquidation of such an account current is a simple arithmetical operation. Sanabria v. Rosa et al., 32 P.R.R. 537; Lizardi v. Marrero, 32 P.R.R. 551; Giménez v. Alfonso, 29 P.R.R. 300. Cf. Cochran v. Fernández, 47 P.R.R. 666; Berio v. De Santiago, 43 P.R.R. 233. Therefore, the lower court erred in deciding that the first cause of action was premature and in dismissing it on this ground.
As to the second cause of action the district court likewise erred in deciding that it was prematurely exercised.
Inasmuch as the case shall be remanded to the lower court, the costs and attorney’s fees shall depend on the final judgment.
The judgment appealed from will be reversed and the case remanded to the lower court in order that in connection with the two causes of action alleged in the complaint it enter judgment pursuant to the terms of this opinion and in accordance with the evidence presented.
During the trial the defendant amended this allegation and reduced the amount to $1,126.12.
It should have been $1,126.12. See footnote 1.
Section 82 of the Code of Commerce, provides:
“Commercial contracts shall be valid and shall cause obligations and causes of action whatever may be the form and language in which they are executed, the class to which they belong, and the amount of the contract, provided their existence is shown by any of the means provided by civil law...”
Section 1044 of the Civil Code, 1930 ed., provides:
“Obligations arising from contracts have legal force between the contracting parties, and must be fulfilled in accordance with their stipulations.”
Rule 15(6) and (c) of the Rules of Civil Procedure essentially provides: '
“(6) Amendments to Conform to the Evidence.— . . .Such amendment of the pleadings as may be necessary to cause them to conform to the evidence and to raise these issues may be made upon motion of any party at any time, even after judgment; but failure so to. amend does not affect the result of the trial of these issues. . . .
“(c) Retroactive Effect of Amendments. — Whenever the claim or defense asserted in the amended pleading arose out of the conduct, transaction, or occurrence set forth or attempted to be set forth in the original pleading, the amendment relates back to the date of the original pleading.” (Italics ours.)
See Rule 15(b) supra.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.