Sauri v. Sauri

Decision Date26 November 1930
Docket NumberNo. 2440.,2440.
Citation45 F.2d 90
PartiesSAURI v. SAURI et al.
CourtU.S. Court of Appeals — First Circuit

Jose Tous Soto (of Tous Soto & Zapater), of Ponce, Porto Rico, for appellant.

Jose A. Poventud, of Ponce, Porto Rico (Alberto S. Poventud, of Ponce, Porto Rico, on the brief), for appellees.

Before BINGHAM, ANDERSON, and WILSON, Circuit Judges.

ANDERSON, Circuit Judge.

This is an appeal from the Supreme Court of Porto Rico. Felix Sauri Vivas died on December 24, 1915, leaving a widow, three children, and a large estate. Early in 1916 the family agreed to hold the estate in community for an indefinite time; it was managed by the plaintiff, Rafael. In 1921 they determined to terminate this community holding. It is undisputed that the widow is entitled to a half of the property, and the three children, now of full age, each to one-third of the other half.

The estate consisted of personalty, urban properties, and extensive rural properties, devoted to sugar raising, grazing, etc. The parties agreed to the division of the personalty in kind, and that the urban property should be sold at auction and the proceeds divided. Controversy arose relative only to the rural properties. Plaintiff contends that they should be divided in specie; defendants that they should be sold and the proceeds divided.

The District Court held for the plaintiff:

"That the rural properties of the community be divided and that this division be made by lots, which will be adjudicated to each of the co-participants in such a manner that a piece of land in each property, proportionate to the interest of each co-owner, be allotted to each; the appointment of three referees is hereby ordered, one referee for each one of the parties to this suit, who shall suggest them to the court, and the third one to be appointed directly by the court; these referees shall proceed to the division of the property and subsequently thereto shall submit reports, to be approved by the court, in conformity with the provisions of the Code of Civil Procedure in force."

On appeal to the Supreme Court, this part of the decree was reversed.

The appellees now question the jurisdiction of this court on two grounds: (1) Because the appeal was taken prematurely; and (2) for lack of the jurisdictional amount of $5,000. 28 USCA § 225.

The judgment of the Supreme Court is dated April 30, 1929, and the petition for appeal and supersedeas was filed June 29, 1929, when a motion for reconsideration was pending. This was overruled on July 15, 1929. The petition for appeal was allowed on July 15, and the bond for costs approved July 29. It is therefore immaterial that the petition for appeal was filed while the motion for reconsideration was pending.

Equally untenable is the claim that the amount in controversy does not exceed $5,000. The finding of the Supreme Court that the decreased value of the pump alone, if the partition were in kind, would amount to some $10,000, is enough to dispose of that contention.

The case comes here on four assignments of error. The first and second allege error by the Supreme Court in not holding the judgment of the District Court as merely interlocutory and therefore appealable only within ten days. This may be briefly disposed of. The judgment of the District Court is dated October 24, 1924, but a motion for reconsideration was filed on November 18, 1924, and denied on November 21, 1924. The appeal was taken on November 22, 1924, and served on November 24, 1924; so that, even if the judgment was interlocutory, and not final, the appeal was taken within ten days. The motion for rehearing suspended the running of the time allowed for appeal. Citizens' Bank v. Opperman, 249 U. S. 448, 450, 39 S. Ct. 330, 63 L. Ed. 701. Assignments 1 and 2 are without merit.

The other two assignments deal with the merits of the Supreme Court's holding the rural properties indivisible and ordering partition by sale and division of the proceeds.

The Supreme Court discussed at some length the meaning of the provisions of the Civil Code applicable to a termination of community holdings. These sections are 407, 408, 411, and 413 of the chapter entitled "The Common Ownership of Property," and section 1029 under the title "Inheritances."

That learned court held, as we understand its opinion, that mere depreciation of the property was not enough to warrant denying partition in kind. The court quoted from the defendants' brief, as follows: "So that not only is a thing legally indivisible when it is rendered unserviceable for the use to which it was intended, but also when it becomes impaired by being divided," saying:

"That is neither the spirit nor the letter of the law. There is a great difference between the thing indivisible by its nature and the possibility of a loss in value as a consequence of the division."

This doctrine is at least as favorable as the appellant can fairly ask.

While partition in kind is favored (47 C. J. p. 442, § 436), the general rule is that it should be allowed only when it is "without serious detriment to the owners." See Briges v. Sperry, 95 U. S. 401, 403, 24 L. Ed. 390. This case arose under the California Code, which is, in most respects, closely analogous to the Porto Rican Code....

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4 cases
  • Southland Industries v. Federal Communications Com'n
    • United States
    • U.S. Court of Appeals — District of Columbia Circuit
    • 15 Junio 1938
    ...Properly understood, therefore, the decision is not in conflict with the general rule stated above. Similarly, in the case of Sauri v. Sauri, 1 Cir., 45 F.2d 90 — also relied on by appellant — the decision interpreted a rule of practice governing appeals from the Supreme Court of Puerto Ric......
  • Fernandez v. Carrasquillo
    • United States
    • U.S. Court of Appeals — First Circuit
    • 18 Diciembre 1944
    ...of a petition for rehearing. In Davila v. Collazo, 50 P.R.R. 475, the court held that the decision of this court in Sauri v. Sauri, 1 Cir., 45 F.2d 90, "has been accepted as authority * * * sustaining the proposition that the filing of a motion for reconsideration of a judgment * * * renews......
  • Landry Mfg. Co. v. CP Rockwell, Inc., 2460.
    • United States
    • U.S. Court of Appeals — First Circuit
    • 26 Noviembre 1930
  • Sting v. Beckham
    • United States
    • California Court of Appeals Court of Appeals
    • 28 Noviembre 1949
    ...its determination will not be disturbed on appeal. Bartlett v. Mackey, 130 Cal. 181, 183, 62 P. 482; Mitchell v. Cline, supra; Sauri v. Sauri, 1 Cir., 45 F.2d 90; De Roulet v. Mitchel, 70 Cal.App.2d 120, 160 P.2d Judgment affirmed. BARNARD, P. J., and MUSSELL, J., concur. ...

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