Short answer. Yes, but only up to that movable's value. Article 2246 of the Civil Code lets a credit preferred over specific movable property exclude all other creditors from that property's value, so you are paid first from it. The preference does not extend to the debtor's other assets.

What the law says

Those credits which enjoy preference with respect to specific movables, exclude all others to the extent of the value of the personal property to which the preference refers.

Civil Code, Article 2246 — Satisfying Preferred Credits on Specific Movables. Read the full provision →

What preference on a specific movable means

Under the Civil Code's rules on concurrence and preference of credits, certain obligations are given priority not over the debtor's whole estate but attached specifically to one piece of personal property, for example a claim tied to the very item that was pledged, repaired, or transported. Article 2246 says this kind of preference excludes all other creditors, but only to the extent of the value of that particular movable. It is preference by attachment to a thing, not a general rank among all of the debtor's creditors.

The limit: the value of that one item

The exclusion Article 2246 grants stops at how much the specific movable is actually worth. If the property sells for less than what you are owed, the preference does not extend to the debtor's other assets, and for the shortfall you fall back to the position of an ordinary creditor competing with everyone else. If the movable is worth more than your credit, any surplus after your claim is satisfied goes to other creditors according to their own standing.

When more than one preferred credit attaches to the same property

More than one preferred credit can sometimes attach to the same movable. When that happens, the law provides a further order among those specific preferences, since Article 2246 by itself only establishes that preferred credits beat ordinary ones on that item, without ranking preferred credits against each other. Determining exactly where your claim stands in that scenario typically requires identifying every other credit asserted against the same piece of property.

Why the source of your preference still matters

Article 2246 tells you what a preference on a specific movable does once it exists; it does not by itself tell you whether your particular claim actually qualifies as one. The Civil Code's broader rules on concurrence and preference of credits set out which kinds of claims attach to specific property in this way, so the practical starting point is confirming that your claim genuinely falls within that category before assuming it beats other creditors at all. A claim that is merely unsecured, however closely tied to the property in a factual sense, does not automatically gain this preference just because you feel entitled to it.

Related provisions

Note. Statute text quoted on this page is reproduced from the official enactment and is linked to the full provision. The explanation around it is general legal information from Vivas & Nobles Law Office, not legal advice. Whether it applies to your situation depends on facts only a lawyer reviewing them can assess.