Title
Ong Chiongchi vs. Judge of the Court of 1st Instance of Oriental Negros
Case
G.R. No. 31342
Decision Date
Aug 3, 1929
Vicente Ong Chiongchi sued Leon Pastor for breach of contract; after initial judgment, a new trial was granted by a judge lacking jurisdiction, rendering subsequent proceedings void.
A

Case Summary (G.R. No. 31342)

Procedural Background

On August 15, 1925, Vicente Ong Chiongchi filed a complaint against Leon Pastor in the Court of First Instance of Oriental Negros, asserting claims of breach of contract and seeking damages. The case was assigned docket number 321. Leon Pastor denied the allegations and sought absolution with costs against the plaintiff. A supplementary complaint was submitted by Chiongchi on June 17, 1927. After initial hearings, Judge A. M. Recto ruled in favor of Chiongchi on July 20, 1927. Following this judgment, Pastor expressed dissatisfaction and moved for a new trial on October 20, 1927.

Jurisdictional Issue

On October 24, 1927, Judge N. Capistrano, upon considering Pastor's motions, revoked the prior judgment and granted a new trial. This decision was made without proper jurisdiction, as later confirmed by the Supreme Court's ruling on August 24, 1928, which annulled Capistrano's order citing a lack of jurisdiction.

Judgment Proceedings

Judge Capistrano proceeded to conduct the new trial while holding court in Dansalan, Lanao, leading to a judgment on March 3, 1928. Subsequently, Chiongchi filed for a writ of certiorari, arguing that Capistrano's order from October 24, 1927, lacked jurisdiction and was thus void.

Supreme Court Decision

The Supreme Court concluded that since Judge Capistrano acted without jurisdi

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