Daniel Rivera v. Flora P. Villanueva

Summary

This case involves a dispute over inheritance rights and partition of properties left by Donato Pacheco Sr. who died intestate in 1956. His legitimate children executed an extrajudicial partition excluding his illegitimate children, who later filed for partition in 1991. The Supreme Court affirmed the illegitimate children's right to inherit and demand partition, ruling that prescription does not run against co-owners absent repudiation of co-ownership. The Court corrected the computation of illegitimate children's legitime to 4/5 of acknowledged natural children's share under Civil Code Article 895(2), and ordered accounting of property income from the decedent's death in 1956. The decision reinforces principles of succession law, co-ownership rights, and protection of inheritance rights against fraudulent exclusion from estate settlements.