Maceira v. Torres Aguilar
Maceira v. Torres Aguilar
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the Court.
Josefa Orcasitas Delgado wed, by a first marriage, Rafael Maceira, from which marriage a daughter was born, Josefina Maeeira Orcasitas, appellee herein, and by a second marriage, she wed Ramón Torres Aguilar, from which marriage no children were born. In turn, the daughter Josefina Maceira Orcasitas wed Federico Fuxá Cuesta, by her only marriage, giving birth to two children, Gloria Fuxá Maceira and Federico Fuxá Maceira. In turn, Federico Fuxá Ma-ceira married Estelvina Hernández and had two children named José Ramón Fuxá Hernández and Federico Fuxá Hernández.
On May 19,1942 Josefa Orcasitas Delgado and her second husband Ramón Torres Aguilar appeared before Notary Juan Enrique Géigel, and established a trust of a lot and house
The sole question in litigation submitted to this Court is the following: Whether the trusts in favor of the great-grandchildren should be annulled as to one third — that of the legal portion — or as to two thirds — the legal portion plus the extra portion — as was decided by the trial court. Appellant alleges that since the trusts were established in favor of the two great-grandchildren, the transfer of property of the two trusts inter vivos may be declared valid as to two thirds because a great-grandchild can be favored and the appellee alleges that the transfer of property may be validated only as to the third portion of free disposal since the extra portion is not involved.
Section 846 of the Civil Code of Puerto Rico (1930 ed.) — 31 L.P.R.A. § 2553 — provides that: “Trusts constituted to the detriment or impairment of the rights of heirs at law as prescribed in this title, are hereby prohibited and are likewise null.” And § 874 — 31 L.P.R.A. § 2581 — of the same Code provides that: “Nothing contained in this chapter shall be understood to repeal or modify the system of inheritance established by this title.”
Now, what is essentially at issue in this petition is whether once the declaration of trust was made in favor of certain great-grandchildren, besides the free third of disposal, the extra portion may be considered as already alienated in an irrevocable way. Our first thought is that if it concerns a contractual advantage the same becomes revocable and therefore, the subsequent will of the appellee may be considered a revocation of the former. It is well known that an extra portion, even if made with the delivery of the property, shall be revocable, unless it has been made in a marriage agreement or by a contract involving a valuable consideration with a third person — § 754 of the Civil Code of Puerto Rico, 31 L.P.R.A. :§ 2394 — but none of these propositions are involved in this issue: 14 Scaevola, Civil Code 498 (1944 Reus Edition). If theoretically the transfer of property in a trust is supposedly made to a third person, the trustee, it is not a matter of a contract involving valuable consideration, and in any event the declaration of nullity of § 846 of our trust provisions would embrace any extra portion of a contractual nature.
Appellee is right when she alleges that every extra portion must be express — ;§ 752 of the Civil Code of Puerto Rico (1930 ed.) — 31 L.P.R.A. § 2392 — the two sole exceptions being those established in §■§ 711 and 755 of the same Code, both of a testamentary nature, and therefore not included in this question: 5 Valverde, Tratado de Derecho Civil Español
Since according to § 846 of our Civil Code any trust which impairs the rights of heirs at law is null, it is evident that at the time of determining the legal portion of appellee, consisting of two thirds of one half of the properties transferred for the trust, the proper thing is to treat such trusts as if they had not been effected, and fix the net value in agreement with the first paragraph of § 746 of our Civil Code.
The judgment rendered by the San Juan Part of the Superior Court of Puerto Rico is correct and the review thereof does not lie.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.