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.
Get a cited, plain-language answer from 184,000+ statutes and decisions — free, no sign-up.
Psychological Incapacity: Mere Disagreement Is Not Grounds for Marriage Nullity
The Supreme Court clarifies that irreconcilable differences and personality clashes do not amount to psychological incapacity under Article 36 of the Family Code.
Civil Courts, Not Church Tribunals, Decide Marriage Nullity Cases in the Philippines
Philippine civil courts, not church tribunals, have jurisdiction over marriage nullity cases. The Supreme Court clarifies this in Tilar v. Republic.
Separation of Church and State: Civil Courts Have Jurisdiction Over Marital Disputes
The Supreme Court clarifies that civil courts, not church tribunals, have jurisdiction over petitions for declaration of nullity of marriage.
Psychological Incapacity and Marriage Nullity: Why Medically Rooted Afflictions Must Be Proven
In Republic v. Pangasinan, the Supreme Court rejected a marriage nullity plea for failure to prove a medically rooted, incurable psychological incapacity.
Marriage Nullity for Absence of Marriage License: What the Supreme Court Says
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on declaring marriage void for lack of marriage license, evidence rules, and practical implications.
Disbarment for Forgery and Misrepresentation in Marriage Nullity Case
Supreme Court disbars lawyer who filed nullity petition without client's consent, forged signature, and misrepresented herself as counsel.
Protecting Public Land: The Nullity of Sales Within the Five-Year Prohibitory Period
A sale of free patent land within five years is void ab initio, imprescriptible, and cannot be cured by laches.
Psychological Incapacity Proving Marital Nullity Beyond Mere Infidelity
Psychological Incapacity and Marriage Nullity: Proving Grave and Incurable Conditions
The Supreme Court clarifies what evidence proves psychological incapacity under Article 36 of the Family Code, requiring grave, incurable, and juridically antecedent conditions.
Reassessing Psychological Incapacity Expert Testimony in Philippine Marital Nullity Cases
The Supreme Court clarifies how expert testimony on psychological incapacity should be weighed in Philippine marriage nullity cases.
Psychological Incapacity Under Article 36: When Falling Out of Love Is Not Enough
The Supreme Court clarifies the distinction between questions of fact and law in Article 36 nullity cases, and what evidence proves psychological incapacity.
Bigamy and the Need for a Judicial Declaration of Nullity Before Remarriage
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies that contracting a second marriage without first securing a judicial declaration of nullity of the first constitutes bigamy.
Psychological Incapacity vs. Mere Irresponsibility: The Supreme Court’s Clear Distinction in Marriage Nullity
The Supreme Court clarifies that emotional immaturity and irresponsibility do not amount to psychological incapacity under Article 36 of the Family Code.
Bigamy and Nullity of Marriage: When a Void Second Marriage Still Leads to Criminal Liability
The Supreme Court clarifies that a subsequent declaration of nullity of a second marriage does not erase criminal liability for bigamy.
Psychological Incapacity Evidentiary Standards for Marriage Nullity in the Philippines
Learn the evidentiary standards for proving psychological incapacity in Philippine marriage nullity cases, explained through the Mendoza ruling.
When Courts Rule on Marriage Nullity First: The Yu v. Yu Doctrine on Ancillary Issues
The Supreme Court clarifies when trial courts may resolve marriage nullity before hearing evidence on custody, support, and property.
Psychological Incapacity and the Adultery Defense: What Yambao v. Republic Teaches About Marital Nullity
The Supreme Court clarifies the high bar for declaring a marriage void due to psychological incapacity under Article 36.
Psychological Incapacity Under Article 36: What the Supreme Court Requires for Marriage Nullity
The Supreme Court clarifies the strict standards for proving psychological incapacity as a ground for declaring a marriage void under Philippine law.
Bigamy and Nullity: When a Void Marriage Declaration Does Not Erase Criminal Liability
The Supreme Court clarifies that a belated judicial declaration of nullity of a first marriage does not automatically defeat a bigamy charge under Philippine law.
Psychological Incapacity Under Article 36: What Suazo v. Suazo Teaches About Proving Nullity of Marriage in th
The Supreme Court in Suazo v. Suazo clarifies what evidence is needed to prove psychological incapacity for marriage nullity under Article 36 of the Family Code.
Vitiated Consent and Simulated Sales: Understanding Contract Nullity in Philippine Law
The Supreme Court explains when fraud vitiates consent and simulated prices void sales, using a family land dispute as a guide.
Bigamy Conviction Upheld Despite Later Declaration of Nullity of First Marriage
A subsequent declaration that a first marriage was void does not erase criminal liability for bigamy contracted before that declaration.
Psychological Incapacity Reassessing Marital Nullity Under Article 36 of the Family Code
The Supreme Court clarifies that psychological incapacity under Article 36 need not fit rigid molds, urging a case-by-case, totality-of-circumstances approach.