Florencia Anuran v. Ana Aquino

Summary

This 1918 Supreme Court case involved a dispute over inheritance rights to Ambrosio Aquino's intestate estate between his widow Florencia Anuran and Ana Aquino, natural child of the deceased's sister. Ana Aquino fraudulently colluded with the court-appointed administrator to obtain an order granting her the entire estate by misrepresenting that she was the sole heir and concealing the existence of the widow. When the widow discovered the fraud two years later and moved to set aside the order, the probate court declined jurisdiction citing the six-month limitation period. The Supreme Court affirmed the trial court's judgment in favor of the widow in a separate action, holding that she was entitled to the entire estate under Civil Code succession provisions, and that equitable relief from fraudulent judgments remains available through separate proceedings even when statutory motion practice is time-barred. The case establishes important precedent on court jurisdiction over final judgments and equitable remedies for fraud.