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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Fixed Price Contracts: No Recovery for Unapproved Additional Costs
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on fixed lump-sum contracts: contractors cannot recover additional costs without written approval under Article 1724.
Proximate Cause Prevails: When a Plaintiff's Own Negligence Bars Recovery in Vehicle Accidents
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on how a plaintiff's own negligence as proximate cause bars recovery, even with defendant's contributory negligence.
Dividends Follow the Shares in Ill-Gotten Wealth Recovery
Supreme Court rules dividends and interests follow ownership of recovered ill-gotten shares, even if not expressly stated in the dispositive portion.
Land Ownership Disputes: Grounds for Dismissal in Property Recovery Cases
The Supreme Court clarifies when dismissal is improper in property recovery cases, emphasizing that prescription, laches, and res judicata require proof.
Co-Ownership and Property Recovery: When Must All Owners Join a Lawsuit
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when co-owners must be impleaded in property recovery suits under Article 487 of the Civil Code.
Revival of Judgment Safeguarding Property Rights After Forcible Entry
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on co-owner recovery actions, tenant protections under P.D. 1517, and property rights enforcement.
Rehabilitation Petitions Technical Insolvency AND Creditors Rights IN Corporate Recovery
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when a technically insolvent corporation may file for rehabilitation and how creditor rights are affected.
COA Overpayment Recovery Upheld: Quantum Meruit in Government Construction Contracts
Supreme Court affirms COA's recovery of overpayment from a government contractor, clarifying quantum meruit limits, due process, and procedural deadlines.
Debt Recovery Execution: Waiver of Demand and Proving Overlevy
Learn when a sheriff's failure to demand payment is excused and how to prove overlevy in execution sales under Rule 39.
Breach of Contract: When Incomplete Construction Doesn't Warrant Full Payment
Philippine Supreme Court rules on when a contractor's incomplete work bars recovery of the full contract price in construction disputes.
Rehabilitation Proceedings and Contractual Obligations: Balancing Creditor Rights and Corporate Recovery
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on suspension of collection suits during corporate rehabilitation proceedings under PD 902-A.
DARAB Holds Exclusive Jurisdiction Over CARP Implementation Cases
The Supreme Court clarifies that DARAB, not regular courts, has exclusive jurisdiction over disputes involving CARP implementation, even when framed as recovery of possession.
Rehabilitation Proceedings: The "Serious Financial Situation" Requirement for Corporate Recovery
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies the "serious situation test" for corporate rehabilitation petitions under the Interim Rules, citing Pryce Corporation v. Court of Appeals.
Rehabilitation Plans and Contractual Rights: Dacion en Pago in Corporate Recovery
Supreme Court ruling on whether a rehabilitation plan's dacion en pago proposal violates a secured creditor's contractual rights.
Taking the Law Into One's Own Hands: When Recovery Attempts Lead to Legal Liability
A clerk of court's angry outburst over cut bamboos shows how self-help recovery can trigger administrative liability despite retirement.
Breaking the Bonds of Trust: Acquisitive Prescription and Recovery of Real Property
When a verbal claim of trust fails, long possession can ripen into ownership. Learn the rules on prescription and recovery of property.
Res Judicata Does Not Bar Recovery of Title After a Money Judgment
A final money judgment does not bar a later suit to recover a property title, the Supreme Court ruled, because the two cases have different causes of action.
Debt Recovery Gone Wrong Understanding Abuse of Rights in Property Repossession Uypitching vs Quiamco
Explore abuse of rights in debt recovery and property repossession through the Supreme Court ruling in Uypitching vs Quiamco.
Illegal Dismissal Claims: When Early Retirement and Unapproved Leave Bar Recovery
A professor's claim of illegal dismissal fails after voluntary early retirement and unapproved leave. Learn the legal rules.
COA Overpayment Recovery Upheld: Quantum Meruit in Government Contracts
Supreme Court affirms COA's order for a contractor to return overpayments, clarifying quantum meruit and due process in government audit cases.
Attorney-Client Privilege vs Disclosure Mandates in Marcos-Era Asset Recovery
Supreme Court clarifies when attorney-client privilege yields to disclosure mandates in recovering Marcos-era ill-gotten wealth.
Laches and Indigenous Land Rights: When Delaying a Claim Can Cost You Everything
A Supreme Court ruling shows that laches can bar recovery of ancestral land, even when a sale lacked required government approval.
Jurisdiction in Property Disputes: Recovery of Title vs. Pecuniary Estimation
How Philippine courts determine jurisdiction when a case seeks recovery of certificates of title rather than monetary claims.
Safeguarding Assets: Understanding Preliminary Attachment in Philippine Debt Recovery
Learn how Philippine courts handle writs of possession after extrajudicial foreclosure, and why procedural rules like the hierarchy of courts matter.