Case Summary (G.R. No. 4390)

Stipulations and Agreement at Trial

• The court allowed the plaintiff to file an amended complaint, with the defendants agreeing that their previous answer would also apply to the amended complaint.
• Exhibits A and B from the original complaint were accepted as part of the amended complaint.
• The defendants acknowledged the truth of the amended complaint's allegations, except for claims regarding additional labor and compensation.
• The original complaint asserted that the plaintiff completed a building under a written contract, but did not mention the delivery or acceptance of the property.

Defendants' Response and Counterclaim

• The defendants denied the plaintiff's fulfillment of the contract and claimed no payment was due.
• Basilia Alvarez, one of the defendants, counterclaimed, alleging the plaintiff violated contract conditions and detailed the specifications not met.
• The counterclaim estimated reconstruction costs at P1,500 due to the plaintiff's non-compliance with the contract.

Amended Complaint and Acceptance of Work

• The amended complaint included claims of additional work valued at P190 and stated that the defendants accepted the building without protest after completion.
• The trial court found that P1,990 of the contract price remained unpaid and acknowledged the plaintiff's additional work valued at P170.
• The court also found that the defendants had unused materials worth P440, leading to a judgment against them for P1,550.

Appeal and Evidence Admission

• The plaintiff contended that the court's initial agreement precluded evidence showing non-compliance with the contract.
• Despite the broad language of the court's statement, the conduct of the parties indicated that the defendants did not waive their counterclaim.
• The plaintiff presented evidence of additional work and the building's acceptance, while the defendants introduced evidence supporting their counterclaim without objection from the plaintiff.

Understanding of the Stipulation

• The agreement made at trial did not constitute a waiver of the defendants' counterclaim, as evidenced by the actions of all parties involved.
• The plaintiff's lack of objection to the counterclaim evidence and the subsequent findings by the trial court indicated a ...continue reading

Case Syllabus (G.R. No. 4390)

Case Background

• The case arose from a legal dispute involving a contract for the construction of a building between the plaintiff, Ang Toa, and the defendants, Basilia Alvarez and Pedro Martinez.
• The original complaint stated that the plaintiff had completed the construction of the building per the written contract and had fulfilled all obligations by January 21, 1907.
• The plaintiff claimed that the defendants had only partially paid the contract price, and there was no mention in the original complaint regarding the delivery or acceptance of the property by the defendants or any additional work performed.

Defendants' Response

• The defendants, both Martinez and Alvarez, denied the plaintiff's claims regarding the fulfillment of the contract and asserted that nothing was owed to the plaintiff.
• Alvarez filed a counterclaim detailing alleged violations by the plaintiff of specific contract conditions, claiming it would cost P1,500 to reconstruct the building in accordance with the contract specifications.

Amended Complaint

• An amended complaint was filed by the plaintiff on August 26, 1907, which included the original allegations and stated that the plaintiff performed additional work valued at P190.
• It also included a response to the defendants' a...continue reading