Jessie v. Pisueña

Summary

This case involved a dispute over ownership of Lot 1201 in Capiz between the heirs of the original registered owners (Petra Unating and Aquilino Villar) and Jessie Pisueña who claimed ownership through a chain of title from a 1949 deed of sale. The main issues were whether the lot was conjugal or paraphernal property and the validity of the deed of sale executed by the deceased couple's children. The trial court and Court of Appeals ruled the property was conjugal and that the children could only validly sell their deceased mother's half-share. The Supreme Court reversed, holding that the lot was paraphernal property of Petra Unating based on a final 1930 cadastral court decision stating she inherited it from her mother. The Court applied Article 1434 of the Civil Code, ruling that when the children later inherited their father's share upon his death, the entire title passed by operation of law to the buyer, making Pisueña and his wife the rightful owners of the entire lot.