Lazatin V Twano

FRANCISCO L. LAZATIN, plaintiff-appellant, vs. ANGEL C. TWAO and GREGORIO T. CASTRO, defendantsappellees.; PAREDES, J.
:
FACTS:
Angel C. Twao and Gregorio T. Castro filed for the recovery of P35,000 plus interest against F. L. Lazatin, et al.
for their purchase from the U.S. government of 225 auto-trucks.
CFI: dismissed the complaint as well as intervention
CA: reversed - Twao and Castro are co-owners in the business of buying and selling surplus auto-trucks, and
ordered the Lazatin to pay P10K so it was levied on his properties and was subsequently sold at the public
auction where Twao and Castro were the purchasers
Before the expiration of the redemption period, Lazatin deposited the redemption price
Lazatin filed to recover from Twao and Castro the balance of P19,676.09 representing the proceeds of autotrucks sold directly to the purchasers by Twao and Castro. Pets. also secured a writ of attachment alleging that
there was no security whatsoever for the payment claimed in the complaint and that they are removing or are
about to remove or dispose of their property with intent to defraud their creditors and that the sheriff refused to
deliver the amount deposited
Lower court granted the Urgent Motion to Dissolve the Writ of Preliminary Attachment and dissolved the writ
May 9, 1953: Lazatin died.
March 10, 1954: Gil Gotiangco was appointed and qualified as administrator of plaintiff's estate
RTC: Estate of Lazatin to pay:
(1) P3,000.00 for the fees of Attorney Manuel O. Chan;

(2) P,500.00 for moral damages to each of the defendants;
(3) Six percent (6%) interest on the amount of P13,849.88 from August 6, 1952 until said amount is actually
delivered to and receipted by the defendants; and
(4) To pay the costs.
Judgment is also rendered against the Central Surety and Insurance Co., which is solidarily liable with the Estate
of the deceased plaintiff Francisco L. Lazatin on its bond for the sum of P20,000.00, filed by said Company for the
issuance on the writ of attachment for the amounts mentioned in Nos. (2) and (3) of the dispositive part of this
decision.
CA: affirmed
ISSUE: W/N Lazatin is liable for the damages
HELD: YES.
Affirmed with modification: elimination of moral damages
The law on damages is found on Title XVII of the Civil Code (Arts. 2195 to 2235). The rules governing damages
laid down in other laws, and the principles of the general law on damages are adopted in so far as they are not in
consistent with the Code (Arts. 2196 and 2198). Article 2197 mentions the kind of damages recoverable, among
which are (1) actual or compensatory and (2) moral Article 2219 provides that moral damages may be recovered
in the following and analogous cases . . . (3) malicious prosecution. There is an abundance of case holding that
the action to recover damages from the attachment plaintiff, for the wrongful issuance and levy of an attachment
(malicious attachment) is identical or is analogous to the ordinary action for malicious prosecution
ON MORAL DAMAGES
Based on jurisprudence: It may logically be inferred that in order that moral damages may be recovered in connection
with the writ of attachment under consideration, malice is an essential ingredient thereof-> Here, the court did not
make any finding that the said petition was maliciously sued out therefore not entitled to moral damages
Note: Defendants invoked Sec. 4 of Rule 59 of the ROC, mainly pointing out that all damages must be paid
SEC. 4. Bond required from plaintiff. The party applying for the order must give a bond executed to the defendant in
amount to be fixed by the judge, not exceeding the plaintiff claim that the plaintiff will pay all the costs which it may be
adjudged to the defendant and all damages which he may sustain by reason of the attachment, if the court shall
finally adjudge that the plaintiff was not entitled thereto.
The SC disagreed. It explained that: Sec. 4 of Rule 59, does not prescribe the remedies available to the attachment
defendant in case of a wrongful attachment, but merely provides an action for recovery upon the bond, based on the
undertaking therein made and not upon the ability arising from a tortious act, like the malicious suing of an attachment.
Under the first, where malice is not essential, the attachment defendant, is entitled to recover only the actual damages
sustained by him by reason of the attachment. Under the second, where the attachment is maliciously sued out, the
damages recoverable may include a compensation for every injury to his credit, business or feelings. It also reiterated
that that the ROC is older than the CC so its rules should be encompassed in the CC. -> "all damages", refers to the
damages resulting from the undertaking itself, the recovery of which is subject to "the principles of the
general law on damages"
ON OTHER FEES:
In the absence of stipulation, attorney's fees and expenses of litigation, other than judicial costs, cannot be covered,
except:
(4) In case of a clearly unfounded civil action or proceeding against the plaintiff.
(11) In any other case where the court deems it just and equitable that attorney's fees and expenses of litigation
should be recovered." (Art. 2208, Civil Code).
This case is based on (4). Here, there was no showing in the decision appealed from that plaintiffs' action is "clearly
unfounded". Yes, yes Plaintiffs-appellants' complaint was not dismissed because the facts alleged therein were
found untrue, but on purely technical grounds; the special defenses of prescription of the action and res
adjudicata. While it may appear also that the move was a scheme to prevent the defendants-appellees from reaping
the benefits of the final judgment rendered in their favor in said case, still one cannot nullify, without cause, the good
and honest motive, which should be presumed, when a litigant goes to court for the determination of his alleged right.
Considering the fact that defendants-appellees were drawn into this litigation by plaintiff-appellant and were compelled
to hire an attorney to protect and defend them, and taking into account the work done by said attorney, as reflected in
the record, throughout the proceedings, SC deemed it just and equitable to award at attorney's fees for defendantsappellees
It appears that plaintiffs-appellants have abandoned their appeal with respect to the payment of 6% interest in
the amount of P13,849.88.

Lazatin V Twano

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FRANCISCO L. LAZATIN, plaintiff-appellant, vs. ANGEL C. TWAO and GREGORIO T. CASTRO, defendantsappellees.; PAREDES, J.

(1) P3,000.00 for the fees of Attorney Manuel O. Chan;

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