Leopoldo Cañizares Tiana v. Jose M. S. Torrejon

Summary

This landmark 1911 Supreme Court case established important precedent on vendor's warranty obligations in real property sales. Torrejon sold land in Jolo, Sulu to Tiana for P2,500 with title warranty, but the property was later declared public land and taken by military authorities. The Court affirmed that when a vendee is evicted due to defective title, the vendor must honor warranty obligations regardless of whether the vendee appealed the adverse judgment. The case clarifies that vendors cannot escape warranty liability by claiming the vendee should have contested the eviction. The decision reinforced Civil Code Article 1475 requirements and established that warranty protection extends to situations where the sold property falls within government reservations, making the vendor's title fatally defective from the outset.