The Bachrach Motor Co v. Espiritu Digest

The Bachrach Motor Co v. Espiritu

G.R. No. L-28497    November 6, 1928

Facts:

1.       This is a consolidated case(Cases no. 28497 and 28948) involving two separate sale transactions. One made in Feb. 18, 1925 (case 28498), when the defendant earlier bought a truck on instalment from the petitioner and said truck was mortgaged together with the two others (no. 77197 & 92744 in the the subsequent sale transaction dated July 28, 1925. The said two of the other trucks were also purchased (but already paid previously) from the plaintiff.  The defendant failed to pay the balance. In July 1925, defendant again purchased another truck from Bachrach. The said truck, together with the 3 other vehicles were mortgaged to the plaintiff to secure the remaining balance. The defendant failed to pay the balance for the latest truck obtained.

2.     It was agreed in both sales that 12% interest will be paid on the unpaid price, and in case of the non-payment of the total debt at maturity, 25% shall be the penalty. The defendant also signed a promissory note solidarily with his brother Rosario (acting as intervenor), the sums secured by the mortgages. Rosario is alleged to be the owner of the two white trucks no. 77197 & 92744 mortgaged.

3.       While these two cases were pending in the lower court the mortgaged trucks were sold by virtue of the mortgage, all of them together bringing in, after deducting the sheriff's fees and transportation charges to Manila, the net sum of P3,269.58.

4.       The lower court ordered the defendants and the intervenor to pay plaintiff in case 28497 the sum of P7,732.09 with interest at the rate of 12 per cent per annum from May 1, 1926 until fully paid, and 25 per cent thereof in addition as penalty. In case 28498, the trial court ordered the defendant and the intervenor to pay plaintiff the sum of P4,208.28 with interest at 12 per cent per annum from December 1, 1925 until fully paid, and 25 per cent thereon as penalty.

5.       The appellants contend that trucks 77197 and 92744 were not mortgaged, because, when the defendant signed the mortgage deeds these trucks were not included in those documents, and were only put in later, without defendant's knowledge. Appellants also alleged that on February 4, 1925, the defendant sold his rights in said trucks Nos. 77197 and 92744 to the intervenor, and that as the latter did not sign the mortgage deeds, such trucks cannot be considered as mortgaged.

6.       But there is positive proof that they were included at the time the defendant signed these documents. Besides, there were presented two of defendant's letters to Hidalgo, an employee of the plaintiff's written a few days before the transaction, acquiescing in the inclusion of all his White trucks already paid for, in the mortgage (Exhibit H-I).

Issue: W/N the 25% penalty upon the debt in addition to the 25% p.a. is usurious

Ruling: No, Article 1152 of the Civil Code permits the agreement upon a penalty apart from the interest. Should there be such an agreement, the penalty, as was held in the case of Lopez vs. Hernaez (32 Phil., 631), does not include the interest, and which may be demanded separately. The penalty is not to be added to the interest for the determination of whether the interest exceeds the rate fixed by the law, since said rate was fixed only for the interest. But considering that the obligation was partly performed, and making use of the power given to the court by article 1154 of the Civil Code, this penalty is reduced to 10 per cent of the unpaid debt. The penalty is however reduced from 25 % upon the sum owed, the defendants need pay only 10 % thereon as penalty. (Judgment appealed from is affirmed in all other respects).