- Petitioner
- Valentina Hernandez
- Respondent
- Domingo Antonio
- Citation
- G.R. No. 5636
- Court
- Supreme Court
- Division
- First Division
- Ponente
- Trent, J.
- Decided
- August 29, 1910
Summary
This 1910 Supreme Court case involved a contract interpretation dispute between Valentina Hernandez and Domingo Antonio over P1,000. Hernandez claimed she made a loan to Antonio, supported by a written receipt promising repayment within one year. Antonio argued the money was actually Hernandez's investment in his undertaking business 'Funeraria Filipina' and that he only modified the receipt at her request. The Court of First Instance awarded Hernandez P846 with interest, and the Supreme Court affirmed. The SC emphasized that contract terms must be interpreted literally per Article 1281 of the Civil Code, and found the receipt clearly evidenced a simple loan with no mention of partnership arrangements. The case established that a married woman could sue independently for recovery of her exclusive property under the Code of Civil Procedure, and that defendants cannot escape clear contractual obligations through unsupported claims of different underlying agreements.