G.R. No. 7532 ; September 20, 1913
Hatim Cafure, plaintiff-appellee, vs. Nicomedes Morales and Crispina Morco, defendants. Crispina Morco, appellant.

FACTS

The plaintiff, Hatim Cafure, filed an action to recover a balance of P666.05 from defendants Nicomedes Morales and Crispina Morco arising from commercial transactions where he sold them merchandise on commission from March 14, 1905, to November 18, 1907. The defendants, in their separate answers, denied liability and argued that their prior acquittal in a criminal case for estafa based on the same transactions absolved them from civil liability. The trial court rendered a joint judgment against both defendants. Only defendant Crispina Morco perfected her appeal.

ISSUE

Whether the appellant, Crispina Morco, is liable for the payment of the sum of P666.05.

RULING

No. The Supreme Court reversed the trial court’s judgment as to Crispina Morco. The record showed no joint liability between the defendants, as each transaction was separate, evidenced by vales and receipts signed individually. Furthermore, the evidence demonstrated that during the relevant period, Crispina Morco purchased merchandise from the plaintiff totaling P424 and had made payments to the plaintiff totaling P478. Therefore, she had overpaid for her purchases and was not liable for the claimed balance. The Court did not address the other issues raised by the appellant.