G.R. No. 174356 - Chavez vs. Court of Appeals

Parties and Property
Respondent Fidela Y. Vargas owned a five-hectare mixed coconut land and rice fields in Sorsogon.
Petitioners Evelina G. Chavez and her daughter, Aida C. Deles, resided on a remote portion of the land, planting coconut seedlings and supervising coconut and palay harvests.

Agreement and Dispute
Fidela and Evelina agreed to divide equally the gross sales of all products; Evelina would hold Fidela’s share in trust.
Fidela later claimed Evelina failed to remit her share and, despite demands, refused to cede administration of the property.

Procedural History
Fidela filed with the RTC of Bulan, Sorsogon a complaint for recovery of possession, rent, and damages, praying for the immediate appointment of a receiver.
Evelina and Aida answered that the RTC lacked jurisdiction, as the dispute involved agrarian matters; the RTC dismissed the complaint for lack of jurisdiction, deeming them tenants.
Fidela appealed to the Court of Appeals (CA) and moved for receivership; on April 12, 2006, the CA granted receivership of the land.
Concurrently, Fidela filed estafa cases in the RTC of Olongapo City and a dispossession complaint with DARAB, all seeking receivership over the same property.

Forum Shopping
Whether Fidela is guilty of forum shopping by filing identical receivership applications in multiple forums.

Receivership Grant
Whether the CA erred in granting Fidela’s application for receivership over the property.