Legal Insights
Plain-language guides and case briefs on Philippine law — researched from the firm's law library of 184,000+ statutes, Supreme Court decisions, and agency issuances, and written so non-lawyers can understand and act on them.
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Debt Default and Court Personnel: Ethical Standards for Court Employees
A court stenographer's unpaid debt to a lawyer with a pending case leads to suspension, underscoring ethical standards for court personnel.
Court Personnel’s Failure to Pay Just Debts: Administrative Liability Explained
Court employees who borrow from lawyers with pending cases and fail to pay face administrative sanctions. Learn the rules.
Piercing the Corporate Veil: When Can Stockholders Be Held Liable for Corporate Debts
The Supreme Court clarifies that stockholders of a close corporation are not automatically personally liable for corporate debts, explaining the limits of piercing the corporate veil.
Piercing the Corporate Veil: When Can a Stockholder’s Assets Answer for Corporate Debts
The Supreme Court clarifies that stockholders are not automatically liable for corporate debts, even in close corporations, and explains when personal assets may be reached.
Credit Card Debt Collection: Proving the Basis of Claims in Philippine Courts
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on credit card collection cases: creditors must prove the basis of claims, not just submit a statement of account.
Acknowledgment of Debt and the Best Evidence Rule: BPI v. Mendoza
The Supreme Court clarifies when a photocopy of a document may be admitted as evidence, and how a debtor's own acts can prove an obligation.
Valid Consignation Demands Strict Compliance With Legal Requirements
Learn when depositing rent in a bank account is not valid consignation, and what the law requires for debt payment.
Credit Card Debt: Unconscionable Interest Rates and the Duty to Respond
The Supreme Court clarifies when credit card interest rates are unconscionable and why borrowers must answer lawsuits on time.
Supreme Court: A Signed Check Creates a Presumption of Debt Even Without Written Contract
The Supreme Court rules that a signed, dishonored check is enough to prove an obligation, even without a written contract or delivery receipts.
Upholding Integrity: Public Officials' Accountability for Debts and Conduct
Supreme Court suspends clerk of court for willful failure to pay just debts and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service.
Trust Receipt Violations and Preliminary Attachment: Safeguarding Creditor Rights
Supreme Court clarifies when trust receipt violations justify preliminary attachment, protecting creditors from fraudulent debtors.
Sheriff's Misconduct Leads to Dismissal for Unremitted Judgment Funds
The Supreme Court dismissed a sheriff for grave misconduct after he withheld P100,000 in collected judgment debt, reaffirming strict accountability for court officers.
Improper Levy Voids Execution Sale Protecting Due Process in Debt Recovery
Supreme Court rules labor tribunals cannot hold corporate officers liable without summons, voiding execution sales against them.
Summary Judgment vs Trial: Protecting Rights in Contract Disputes
How the Supreme Court protects judgment debtors from irregular execution sales in contract disputes, and what it means for your rights.
Piercing the Corporate Veil: When Corporate Officers Are Personally Liable for Illegal Dismissal Debts
The Supreme Court clarifies when corporate officers can be held personally liable for illegal dismissal awards, requiring proof of bad faith.
Corporate Officer Liability: When Directors Can Be Held Personally Liable for Corporate Debts
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when corporate officers may be held personally liable for corporate debts and labor awards.
Cooperative Debt Collection: Jurisdiction, Authority, and Interest Rates Explained
Learn how the Supreme Court ruled on cooperative debt collection, officer authority, and interest rate reductions in Fausto v. Multi Agri-Forest.
Joinder of Transferee in Pending Foreclosure Case: Cameron Granville v. Chua
When a bank sells a foreclosed debt, can the buyer join the pending case? The Supreme Court clarifies joinder and substitution rules.
Defective Notarization Sinks Presumption, But SC Upholds P600,000 Antichresis Loan
The Supreme Court voided the presumption attached to a notarized loan deed, yet still upheld the P600,000 antichresis debt and ordered yearly accounting of farm yields.
Priority of Interest Payments in Foreclosure: When Debt Settlement Falls Short
Learn how the Supreme Court applies Article 1253 in foreclosure cases—payments first cover interest and penalties before principal.
Novation Requires Clear Release of Original Debtor: Lessons from Ever Electrical v. PBCOM
When does a new debtor's assumption of a loan release the original borrower? The Supreme Court explains novation rules.
Reducing Unconscionable Penalties: The Supreme Court’s Stance on Fair Loan Obligations
The Supreme Court clarifies when penalty charges in loan contracts are unconscionable and may be reduced, balancing creditor rights with debtor protection.
Subrogation and Compensation When Payment of Another's Debt Extinguishes Obligations
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on legal subrogation and compensation when a business buyer pays the seller's unpaid bills.
Clarifying Debt Liability When Personal Obligations Meet Family Debts
Supreme Court clarifies when assuming a parent's debt creates novation and when interest is due under Philippine law.