Page 138 - Latent Defect or Excessive Price?Exploring Early Modern Legal Approach to Remedying Defects in Goods Exchanged for Money - Bruijn
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CHAPTER THREE
It seems enough when the duped party proves that there has been a price deviation of more than half the object's just price. In a 1531 lawsuit about bad quality iron bars the buyer Juan de Salbatierramallero expresses the idea as follows:
'The said steel appeared to be bad and it is so and it is for being bad because it is neither iron, nor steel, that he was 'deceived' for more than half the just price...'.261
This defence equates a deviation of more than half the just price with engaño, deceit. The same formula occurs in other cases as well.262
In a 1589 case, the defendant Gonzales del Río argues against allegations that he had sold two stallions for more than their just price. Del Río does not aim to disprove his alleged bad faith. He only argues that the stallions were sold in the presence of experts so that the worth of the animals was well-established.
'I say that you majesty must order the execution to continue... Furthermore, because the lesion and 'deceit' which the opposite parties allege is malignant and one can convince himself of that by the same deed of the contract presented in this procedure in which they state and acknowledge that the worth of the stallions which they promised from my part is just when they bought them. And to inform you that it happened thus they bought them accordingly within sight of experts of which they say that these were acquainted with the quality of the stallions to such a manner that they can not pretend ignorance'.263
3.4.2 Limitation periods
Though in medieval ius commune the remedy for lesion beyond moiety was part of the civil law and expired after 30-years only, in Castilian law its duration was fixed at a period of four years by a statute issued in 1386, which would become part of the Ordenamiento de Montalvo (1484) and Nueva Recopilación.264
Despite the unambiguous four-year limitation in the Nueva Recopilación, the duration of the remedy for lesion beyond moiety was not beyond doubt. On the one hand, medieval ius commune with its 30-year limitation for civil remedies on the contract still
261 Pl. civ., P. Alonso (f.), caja 1135, 3 (1531), sc. 1: '...el dicho azero parescio ser fals- | o y lo es y por ser como es falso | ni es para hierro ni para azero de que resci- | be engaño de mas de la mytad del justo precio´.
262 Pl. civ., F. Alonso (f.), caja 1351, 5, sc. 8 (petition): '...mi parte vendió a pedro de leon vezino de la villa | de avilla estante en la ciubdad de santiago | unas casas de predia madera ortera que tenía | en este ciubdad a la calle de la plasteria por | precio e quantia de quatrocientos ducados las quales | al tiempo de la venta balian más de ochocientos | ducados e asi el vendedor fue engado en mas de la mytad del justo precio por tanto le conpete | el remedio de la ley segunda \[my emphasis\]'.
263 Pl. civ., F.. Alonso (f.), caja 447, 1 (1589), sc. 13: 'digo que vuestro merced justicia mediante deve mandar yr por | la execucion adelante... | lo otro porque la lesion y | engano que las partes contrarias alegan es ma- | liciosa y se conbence por la mesma escritura | de obligacion que esta en este proceso presentada | por la qual dicen y confiesan ser justo el valor | de los machos que prometieron a mi parte cuando | se los compraron y para enterarse de que ser a lo | susodicho ansi los compraron a vista de alvertares | de los quales dicen supieron la calidad de ellos de | manera de no pueden pretender ignorancia'.
264 Ordenanzas Reales de Castilla 5.7.4 (= Nueva Recopilación 5.11.1): '...aunque se haga por almoneda del día que fueron hechos hasta en quatro años y no despues', in: Los codigos españoles, vol. 6, p. 408.
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