Page 112 - Latent Defect or Excessive Price?Exploring Early Modern Legal Approach to Remedying Defects in Goods Exchanged for Money - Bruijn

CHAPTER THREE
3.3.1.2.1 Legal practice
I found no example of claims for price reduction because of a defect in a thing other than those based on laesio enormis. However, lawsuits about the thing's just price also provide information about how prices had to be determined according to the Royal Chancery of Valladolid. Consider the following cases in which the value of the merchandize is estimated.
'Jerome de Castro appeared before your Honour and said: I have bought from Manuel de Gomez, nearby merchant five and a half bolts of fabric, 22 with a black fold, for five and twenty reales for each bolt, which I paid in cash, and having them cut, they appeared not to be in accordance with the law and quality for such a price and they contain bulges, streaks, and cheap tissue, which reduce its price, and the tailors declared to have the obligacion the said Manuel Gomez to return it, to take it back, and to repay me the money I paid for it, seeing the said deceit, fault, and fraud caused by the opposing party \[my emphasis\]'.158
'Concerning the value of the said trees may your Honour order and appoint two or three persons, farmers and green- grocers who are acquainted with the value of the said trees and let these under oath declare how much they could be worth now...'159
'and thus the said land is very bad in relation to its just and common price and value'.160
'and many others would state that what they would have given him for the said lands would have been as much as the opposing party \[had given\], because that is what they were worth at the time that he delivered the lands to him, in accordance with their just and common estimation'.161
158 Pl. civ., A. Rodriguez (olv.), caja 223, 9 (1628), sc. 7 (bottom), 8 (top): 'Jeronimo de Castro ... parescio ante | vuestra merced y dijo que avio conprado | de manuel de gomez mercader | vezino della, cinco baras y media | de pano. veinte y dos seno negro | a cinco e veinta rreales la vara que- | a le pague de contado y abiendo se | tundido a paresido no ser de la | lei y bondad para semejante pre- | cio y tiene muelas betas y lan- | illas vastas que minoran su precio | y los sastres declaran tener obliga- | cion el dicho manuel gomez de bolber | lo a rresivir y bolber me el | dinero que por el le pague me- | diante el dicho engano dolo y frau- | de causado por las parte contraria'.
159 Pl. civ., F. Alonso (f.), caja 971, 7 (1575), sc. 107: 'sobre el valor de las dichas arboledas | vuestras mercedes manden nombrar dos | o tres personas labradores e frute- | ros que entienden el valor de | las dichas arboledas e con juramento declaren lo que podian valer a- | gora...'. In this case the seller claims to have been duped for more than half of the just price; cf. pl. civ., F. Alonso (f), caja 494, 3 (1571), sc. 69-70: 'communmente entre personas que saben (sc. 42), que entre personas que | saven e entienden | las calidades de los ca- | vallos e faltas e tachas | dellos sean tenydo e tienen | las dichas tachas por de calidad | que por qualquiera dellas | se puede muy | bien e debe | qualquier cavallo e des- | hacerse la venta que de | este esta (sc. 70), ...el cavallo sobre que es escrito entre albeitares | y personas expertas en semejante arte no es defeto ni | tacha bastante porque valga menos ni aya lugar la | accion rredibitoria (sc. 145, petición)'; pl. civ., F. Alonso (f), caja 447, 1 (1570), sc. 104: 'ansi los compraron a vista de alvertares | de los quales dicen supieron la calidad de ellos de | manera de no pueden pretender ignorancia'.
160 Reg. ej., caja 1679, 4 (1590), sc. 1, r. 23: 'y es ansi que la dicha tierra es muy rruyn que a su justo y comun precio e valor'.
161 Reg. ej., caja 1679, 4 (1590), sc. 4 (petition of defendants): 'y hallaran otros muchos que le dieran por las dichas tierras tanto | en las que la parte contraria porque lo valian bien al tiempo que se las dio | a su justa e comun estimacion', ; also pl. civ., F. Alonso (f.), caja 447, 1, sc. 143: 'justa y commun estimacion'.
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