TransportationDigest:LRTAV.

Navidad(2003)
G.R.No.145804February6,2003
LessonsApplicable:ActionableDocument(transportation)
LawsCited:Art.1755,Art.1756,Art.1759,Art.1763

FACTS:

October14,1993,7:30p.m.:DrunkNicanorNavidad(Nicanor)enteredtheEDSALRTstation
afterpurchasingatoken.

WhileNicanorwasstandingattheplatformneartheLRTtracks,theguardJunelitoEscartin
approachedhim.

Duetomisunderstanding,theyhadafistfight

Nicanorfellonthetracksandkilledinstantaneouslyuponbeinghitbyamovingtrainoperatedby
RodolfoRoman

December8,1994:ThewidowofNicanor,alongwithherchildren,filedacomplaintfordamages
againstEscartin,Roman,LRTA,MetroTransitOrg.Inc.andPrudent(agencyofsecurityguards)
forthedeathofherhusband.

LRTAandRomanfiledacounterclaimagainstNicanorandacrossclaimagainstEscartinand
Prudent

Prudent:deniedliabilityaverredthatithadexercisedduediligenceintheselectionand
surpervisionofitssecurityguards

LRTAandRoman:presentedevidence

PrudentandEscartin:demurrercontendingthatNavidadhadfailedtoprovethatEscartinwas
negligentinhisassignedtask

RTC:InfavourofwidowandagainstPrudentandEscartin,complaintagainstLRTandRoman
weredismissedforlackofmerit

CA:reversedbyexoneratingPrudentandheldLRTAandRomanliable

ISSUE:W/NLRTAandRomanshouldbeliableaccordingtothecontractofcarriageNO.

HELD:NO.AffirmedwithModification:(a)nominaldamagesisDELETED(CANNOTcoexistw/
compensatorydamages)(b)Romanisabsolved.

Lawandjurisprudencedictatethatacommoncarrier,bothfromthenatureofitsbusinessandfor
reasonsofpublicpolicy,isburdenedwiththedutyoffexercisingutmostdiligenceinensuringthe
safetyofpassengers

CivilCode:

Art.1755.Acommoncarrierisboundtocarrythepassengerssafelyasfarashumancareand
foresightcanprovide,usingtheutmostdiligenceofverycautiouspersons,withadueregardfor
allthecircumstances
 Art.1756.Incaseofdeathorinjuriestopassengers,commoncarriersarepresumedtohave
beenatfaultortohaveactednegligently,unlesstheyprovethattheyobservedextraordinary
diligenceasprescribedinarticles1733and1755

Art.1759.Commoncarriersareliableforthedeathoforinjuriestopassengersthroughthe
negligenceorwilfulactsoftheformersemployees,althoughsuchemployeesmayhaveacted
beyondthescopeoftheirauthorityorinviolationoftheordersofthecommoncarriers

ThisliabilityofthecommoncarriersdoesNOTceaseuponproofthattheyExercisedallthediligenceof
agoodfatherofafamilyintheselectionandsupervisionoftheiremployees

Art.1763.Acommoncarrierisresponsibleforinjuriessufferedbyapassengeronaccountofthe
wilfulactsornegligenceofotherpassengersorofstrangers,ifthecommoncarriersemployees
throughtheexerciseofthediligenceofagoodfatherofafamilycouldhavepreventedorstopped
theactoromission.

Carrierspresumedtobeatfaultorbeennegligentandbysimpleproofofinjury,thepassengeris
relieavedofthedutytostillestablishthefaultornegligenceofthecarrierorofitsemployeesand
theburdenshiftsuponthecarriertoprovethattheinjuryisduetoanunforeseeneventorto
forcemajeure

Whereithiresitsownemployeesoravailitselfoftheservicesofanoutsideroranindependent
firmtoundertakethetask,thecommoncarrierisNOTrelievedofitsresponsibilitiesunderthe
contractofcarriage

GR:PrudentcanbeliableonlyfortortunderArt.2176andrelatedprovisionsinconjunctionwith
Art.2180oftheCivilCode.(Tortmayariseevenunderacontract,wheretort[quasidelict
liability]isthatwhichbreachesthecontract)

EX:ifemployersliabilityisnegligenceorfaultonthepartoftheemployee,employercanbe
madeliableonthebasisofthepresumptionjuristantumthattheemployerfailedtoexercise
diligentissimipatrisfamiliesintheselectionandsupervisionofitsemployees.

EXtotheEX:Uponshowingduediligenceintheselectionandsupervisionoftheemployee

FactualfindingoftheCA:NOlinkbet.PrudentandthedeathofNicanorforthereasonthatthe
negligenceofEscartinwasNOTproven

NOshowingthatRomanhimselfisguiltyofanyculpableactoromission,hemustalsobe
absolvedfromliability

Contractualtiebet.LRTandNicanorisNOTitselfajuridicalrelationbet.NicanorandRoman

Romancanbeliableonlyforhisownfaultornegligence

LRT vs. NAVIDAD

G.R.No.145804.February6,2003
FACTS:

NavidadwasdrunkwhenheenteredtheboardingplatformoftheLRT.Hegotintoanaltercationwith
theSGEscartin.TheyhadafistfightandNavidadfellontothetracksandwaskilledwhenatraincame
andranoverhim.

TheHeirsofNavidadfiledacomplaintfordamagesagainstEscartin,thetraindriver,(Roman)the
LRTA,theMetroTransitOrganizationandPrudentSecurityAgency(Prudent).Thetrialcourtfound
PrudentandEscartinjointlyandseverallyliablefordamagestotheheirs.TheCAexoneratedPrudent
andinsteadheldtheLRTAandthetraindriverRomerojointlyandseverallyliableaswellasremoving
theawardforcompensatorydamagesandreplacingitwithnominaldamages.

ThereasoningoftheCAwasthatacontractofcarriagealreadyexistedbetweenNavidadandLRTA
(byvirtueofhishavAingpurchasedtrainticketsandtheliabilitywascausedbythemerefactof
Navidad'sdeathafterbeinghitbythetrainbeingmanagedbytheLRTAandoperatedbyRoman.The
CAalsoblamedLRTAfornothavingpresentedexpertevidenceshowingthattheemergencybrakes
couldnothavestoppedthetrainontime.

ISSUES:

(1)WhetherornotLRTAand/orRomanisliableforthedeath.

(2)WhetherornotEscartinand/orPrudentareliable.
(3)Whetherornotnominaldamagesmaycoexistwithcompensatorydamages.

HELD:

(1)Yes.ThefoundationofLRTA'sliabilityisthecontractofcarriageanditsobligationtoindemnifythe
victimarisingfromthebreachofthatcontractbyreasonofitsfailuretoexercisethehighdiligence
requiredofacommoncarrier.

(2)Faultwasnotestablished.LiabilitywillbebasedonTortunderArt.2176oftheNewCivilCode.
(3)No.Itisanestablishedrulethatnominaldamagescannotcoexistwithcompensatorydamages.

RATIO:

LiabilityofLRTAReadArts.1755,1756,1759and1763oftheNewCivilCode

Acommoncarrierisrequiredbytheseabovestatutoryprovisionstouseutmostdiligenceincarrying
passengerswithdueregardforallcircumstances.Thisobligationexistsnotonlyduringthecourseof
thetripbutforsolongasthepassengersarewithinitspremiseswheretheyoughttobeinpursuance
tothencontractofcarriage.

Art.1763rendersacommoncarrierliablefordeathoforinjurytopassengers(a)throughthe
negligenceorwilfulactsofitsemployeesor(b)onaccountofwillfulactsornegligenceofother
passengersorofstrangersifthecommoncarriersemployeesthroughtheexerciseofduediligence
couldhavepreventedorstoppedtheactoromission.Incaseofsuchdeathorinjury,acarrieris
presumedtohavebeenatfaultorbeennegligent,andbysimpleproofofinjury,thepassengeris
relievedofthedutytostillestablishthefaultornegligenceofthecarrierorofitsemployeesandthe
burdenshiftsuponthecarriertoprovethattheinjuryisduetoanunforeseeneventortoforce
majeure.

LiabilityofSecurityAgencyIfPrudentistobeheldliable,itwouldbeforatortunderArt.2176
inconjunctionwithArt.2180.OncethefaultoftheemployeeEscartinisestablished,theemployer,
Prudent,wouldbeheldliableonthepresumptionthatitdidnotexercisethediligenceofagoodfather
ofthefamilyintheselectionandsupervisionofitsemployees.

RelationshipbetweencontractualandnoncontractualbreachHowthenmusttheliabilityof
thecommoncarrier,ontheonehand,andanindependentcontractor,ontheotherhand,be
described?Itwouldbesolidary.Acontractualobligationcanbebreachedbytortandwhenthesame
actoromissioncausestheinjury,oneresultinginculpacontractualandtheotherinculpaaquiliana,
Article2194oftheCivilCodecanwellapply.Infine,aliabilityfortortmayariseevenundera
contract,wheretortisthatwhichbreachesthecontract.Stateddifferently,whenanactwhich
constitutesabreachofontractwouldhaveitselfconstitutedthesourceofaquasidelictualliabilityhad
nocontractexistedbetweentheparties,thecontractcanbesaidtohavebeenbreachedbytort,
therebyallowingtherulesontorttoapply.

NominalDamagesTheawardofnominaldamagesinadditiontoactualdamagesisuntenable.
Nominaldamagesareadjudicatedinorderthatarightoftheplaintiff,whichhasbeenviolatedor
invadedbythedefendant,maybevindicatedorrecognized,andnotforthepurposeofindemnifying
theplaintiffforanylosssufferedbyhim.Itisanestablishedrulethatnominaldamagescannotco
existwithcompensatorydamages.Theawardwasdeleted/\.