Intestate Estate of the Deceased Spouses Magdaleno Fajardo v. Melchor Fajardo

Summary

This Supreme Court case involved siblings Petronila and Melchor Fajardo disputing the administration of their deceased parents' estate. Melchor claimed their father had partitioned the estate before death, citing his possession of certain lands and payment of taxes. Petronila denied this and sought judicial administration. The Court of First Instance granted the petition for administration. On appeal, the Supreme Court affirmed, holding that no valid partition was proven. The Court emphasized that estate partition requires legal formalities - either through a written public instrument for inter vivos acts or proper testamentary formalities for wills. Since neither was established, the informal distribution was unenforceable, and judicial administration was proper. The decision reinforces the importance of following statutory requirements for estate transfers and partitions.