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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Compromise Agreements and Voluntary Retirement in Philippine Public Service
The Supreme Court ruled that compromise agreements are binding even after final judgments, and voluntary retirement in public service requires clear consent.
Upholding Agrarian Reform: Supervening CLOA Justifies Deviation from Immutability of Judgment
When a final judgment becomes inequitable due to a supervening event like a CLOA issuance, courts may relax the doctrine of immutability of judgment.
Upholding Agrarian Reform When Final Judgments Yield to Supervening Social Justice
When a final ejectment judgment clashes with agrarian reform awards, the Supreme Court clarifies when execution may yield to supervening events.
Immutability of Judgments When Finality Prevails Over Claims of Minority in Criminal Cases
When does a final judgment yield to supervening events? The Supreme Court clarifies the exceptions to immutability of judgment.
Unappealed Judgment Bars Consequential Damages in Expropriation Case
Supreme Court clarifies that landowners who do not appeal a trial court's denial of consequential damages cannot obtain them on appeal.
Examining Judgment Debtors: How Courts Can Enforce Judgments Against Elusive Corporations
Winning a lawsuit is only half the battle. Learn how Philippine courts can examine corporate officers to enforce judgments against elusive debtors.
Res Judicata and Foreign Judgments: What Property Disputes Teach Us About Finality
Philippine courts won't take judicial notice of foreign judgments. Learn the rules on res judicata, litis pendentia, and proof of foreign pleadings.
Navigating Finality of Audit Decisions: Understanding the Doctrine of Immutability in Philippine Law
Explore the Supreme Court's ruling on COA finality, immutability of judgments, and liability of public officers for subordinates' acts.
Reviving Dormant Judgments: Understanding the 10-Year Window for Enforcement in the Philippines
Learn how long you have to enforce a final judgment in the Philippines, what happens when the 10-year prescriptive period lapses, and how to revive a dormant judgment.
Res Judicata and Prescription in Banking Disputes: Key Lessons from Metrobank v. Spouses Uy
The Supreme Court clarifies when a prior judgment bars a later case and how prescription runs in collection suits involving dishonored checks.
Understanding Interest on Final Judgments: A Guide for Property Owners and Legal Professionals
The Supreme Court clarifies when legal interest begins to run on final money judgments against government agencies, protecting property owners' rights.
Finality Prevails: Why Prior Judgments Bar Annulment Based on the Same Claims
Learn how the Supreme Court ruled that receiving final retirement benefits bars a later illegal dismissal claim.
Proving Land Identity in Reconveyance Cases: Lessons from Villaroman v. Estate of Arciaga
The Supreme Court clarifies res judicata in property disputes, emphasizing the need to prove land identity and the binding effect of prior judgments.
Understanding Res Judicata: How Final Judgments Impact Property Disputes in the Philippines
Learn how the doctrine of res judicata and stare decisis shape property registration cases in the Philippines, and what applicants must prove.
When Death Extinguishes Criminal Liability: Insights from a Philippine Supreme Court Ruling
A Supreme Court ruling explains how an accused's death before final judgment extinguishes criminal and civil liability ex delicto.
Piercing the Corporate Veil in Labor Cases: When Owners and Related Companies Can Be Held Liable
The Supreme Court clarifies when courts can pierce the corporate veil in labor disputes and hold owners and related firms solidarily liable for judgments.
Piercing the Corporate Veil in Labor Cases: A Supreme Court Guide
The Supreme Court explains when courts can pierce the corporate veil to hold owners liable for unpaid labor judgments.
Navigating Writs of Possession and Procedural Pitfalls: Lessons from a Philippine Supreme Court Ruling
A Supreme Court ruling underscores the strict procedural rules in writ of possession cases, from filing briefs to the immutability of judgments.
Final and Executory Judgments vs. COA: The Cathay Pacific Steel Case
When a court decision becomes final, can the COA still deny the money claim? The Supreme Court settles this in Cathay Pacific Steel v. COA.
Void Judgments and Invalid Summons: Key Lessons from Titan Dragon Properties v. Veloso-Galenzoga
When summons is invalid, a court never gains jurisdiction—making any resulting judgment void and unenforceable.
Employee Dismissal and Due Process: Lessons from the TESDA v. Abragar Case
The Supreme Court clarifies when a void judgment in labor cases can be attacked, and why impleading indispensable parties matters.
Due Process and Finality of Judgments: A Landmark Philippine Case Analysis
Explore the Supreme Court's ruling on due process, finality of judgments, and annulment in Thomas v. Trono.
The Immutability of Final Judgments: A Supreme Court Lesson from the DBP-COA Dispute
The Supreme Court ruled that the COA cannot reopen settled accounts beyond the reglementary period, reinforcing the doctrine of immutability of final judgments.
Res Judicata in the Philippines: How Final Judgments Bar Endless Litigation
The Supreme Court explains res judicata and why a final judgment on a compromise agreement cannot be relitigated through new petitions.