Motivación en las sentencias emitidas por los jueces de primer nivel en Ecuador

Abstract

Abstract: This study analyzes the constitutional guarantee of reasoning in first-instance judicial decisions in Ecuador, using as a case study the judgment issued in labor case No. 18334- 2023-XXXXX by the Civil Judicial Unit based in Ambato on October 3, 2025. The main objective was to determine whether the decision complies with the standards of sufficient and adequate reasoning established by the Constitutional Court of Ecuador and contemporary legal doctrine. The dispute arose from the dismissal of an employee of the Technical University of Ambato, who was terminated on the grounds that she had failed to pass a probationary period, despite having signed five consecutive employment contracts containing the same clause. This situation contravenes Article 15 of the Ecuadorian Labor Code. The research employed a qualitative methodology based on Manuel Atienza s legal argumentation framework. The analysis involved identifying and examining the normative and factual premises of the judgment, its ratio decidendi and obiter dicta, as well as the coherence of its internal and external justification. The findings indicate that the judicial decision complies with the constitutional standards of reasoning, as it presents a clear, sufficient, and coherent justification consistent with the proven facts and the applicable legal provisions. No defects related to lack of reasoning, insufficient reasoning, or merely apparent reasoning were identified. Consequently, it is concluded that the judgment safeguards the right to due process in its dimension of reasoned decision-making and constitutes an appropriate application of labor regulations concerning wrongful dismissal and probationary periods.