Title
Doronila vs. De Arroyo
Case
G.R. No. 48004
Decision Date
Jun 27, 1941
Dolores Vasquez obtained alimony judgment; property auctioned to her despite Carlos Doronila’s ownership claim. Court upheld sale, denied redemption due to expired period and fraudulent conveyance.

Case Summary (G.R. No. 194388)

Legal Proceedings

In civil case No. 9031 filed by Dolores Vasquez in the Court of First Instance of Iloilo, a judgment was issued against her husband, Mariano B. Arroyo, for alimony payments of P500 per month starting in February 1932. When Arroyo failed to comply, Vasquez obtained an execution order leading to the public auction sale of a parcel of land. This sale occurred on July 27, 1935, whereby Vasquez purchased the property for P4,500. The subsequent final certificate of sale was executed on August 10, 1936.

Third-Party Claim and Property Dispute

Carlos Doronila intervened by filing a third-party claim with the Provincial Sheriff of Iloilo opposing the sale, asserting that the property had been conveyed to him through two different agreements with Arroyo, namely a sale by installment in June 1933 and a definite sale in February 1935. In a subsequent civil case (No. 10269), the court ruled that Doronila's claims were void due to their fraudulent nature intended to defraud creditors, thus confirming the validity of the sale to Vasquez.

Redemption Attempts

On April 12, 1937, Doronila attempted to redeem the property by depositing the amount of P4,608, which included the auction price and interest. However, his request was refused by the provincial sheriff on the grounds that the statutory redemption period had expired. Doronila subsequently instituted civil case No. 10874 to annul the sheriff's deed in favor of Vasquez and compel the redemption of the property.

Trial Court's Dismissal

The trial court dismissed Doronila's complaint, primarily concluding that the statutory period for redeeming the property—twelve months post-sale—had elapsed. While six errors were cited in Doronila's appeal, the core matters revolved around the right to redeem and the expiration of the redemption period.

Statutory Provisions and Judicial Interpretation

According to Section 465 of the Code of Civil Procedure, redemption can be exercised within twelve months following a sale. The court acknowledged that Doronila's redemption request exceeded this statutory timeframe, barring any legal exceptions. Although Doronila argued for equitable relief to allow redemption despite the elapsed time, the court found his claims lacking merit due to the fraudulent nature of his prior dealings with Arroyo that were aimed at evading creditor claims.

Fraud and Creditor Rights

The ruling emphasized that Doronila was complicit in Arroyo's schemes to defraud creditors, especially given that the sale he relie

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