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Francisca Gutierrez, Et Al. Vs. Court Of Appeals, Et Al.

FRANCISCA GUTIERREZ, MONICA GUTIERREZ, JOSE GUTIERREZ and SPS. ERNESTO BEN and ADELA BAJIT, petitioners, vs. COURT OF APPEALS, Hon. ROMULO E. ABASOLO, in his capacity as Presiding Judge, RTC, First Judicial Region, Br. 47, Urdaneta, Pangasinan, EUGENIA GUTIERREZ, AURELIA GUTIERREZ, LEONILA GUTIERREZ, ARNEL GUTIERREZ, and FLORA GUTIERREZ, respondents. Simplicio M. Sevilleja for petitioners. Isaiah B. Asuncion, Sr. for private respondents.

G.R. No. 82475 | 1991-01-28

D E C I S I O N


CRUZ, J.:

Res judicata literally means "a matter adjudged; a thing judicially acted upon or decided; a thing or matter settled by judgment." It also refers to the "rule that a final judgment or decree on the merits by a court of competent jurisdiction is conclusive of the rights of the parties or their privies in all later suits on points and matters determined in the former suit." 1

This rule is invoked in the case at bar. The petitioners maintain that the respondent court committed reversible error when it sustained the denial by the trial court of their motion to dismiss a second case on all fours with an earlier...