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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Mortgage in Good Faith: Protecting Lenders in Philippine Real Estate Transactions
The Supreme Court explains how the mortgagee-in-good-faith doctrine shields lenders who rely on a clean Torrens title, even if fraud taints the chain.
Beyond Mismanagement When Corporate Decisions Dont Amount TO Criminal Fraud
The Supreme Court clarifies the line between illegal recruitment and estafa, and when corporate decisions cross into criminal fraud.
Estafa Corporate Liability vs Personal Liability in Loan Agreements
When is a corporate officer personally liable for estafa in a loan deal? The Supreme Court clarifies the line between criminal fraud and civil debt.
Breach of Contract: When Concealing Pre-Existing Illness Negates Seafarer Disability Claims
Philippine Supreme Court rules on seafarers' disability benefits, fraudulent misrepresentation, and pre-existing conditions under the POEA-SEC.
Protecting Land Ownership: The Limits of Good Faith in Real Estate Transactions
The Supreme Court clarifies when a buyer of registered land cannot claim good faith, protecting true owners from fraud.
Breach of Contract of Carriage: When Moral Damages Require Fraud or Bad Faith
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when injured bus passengers may recover moral damages for breach of contract of carriage—only upon proof of fraud or bad faith.
SEC v. Price Richardson: Probable Cause in Securities Fraud Cases
Supreme Court clarifies when courts may review prosecutors' probable cause findings in securities regulation violations.
SEC Approval Needed to Trade Securities: SC Clarifies Probable Cause in Securities Fraud
Supreme Court clarifies when SEC approval is needed to trade securities and the limits of probable cause review in securities fraud cases.
Ponzi Schemes and the Law: Convicting Syndicated Estafa in Investment Fraud
How the Supreme Court convicted a Multitel officer of syndicated estafa for a Ponzi scheme, and what investors should know.
Forged Signatures and Imprescriptibility in Co-Ownership Property Disputes
Forged deed transfers property by fraud; co-owner in possession can file imprescriptible quieting of title action.
Piercing the Corporate Veil: Director Liability in Investment Fraud Cases
When can directors be personally liable for corporate fraud? The Supreme Court's ruling in Virata v. Ng Wee provides clear guidance.
Upholding Land Ownership After Fraudulent Free Patents and the Right to Reclaim Property
A Supreme Court ruling explains when builders on land they do not own are presumed in good faith, and why the landowner must choose between buying the house or selling the land.
Customs Law: Abandonment of Goods Requires Due Notice Despite Importer's Delay
Supreme Court rules that ipso facto abandonment of imported goods under the Tariff and Customs Code requires due notice, absent fraud.
Check Fraud Liability: When a Drawee Bank Can Recover From a Collecting Bank
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when a drawee bank can avoid liability for unauthorized check payments and how drawers can recover directly from negligent collecting banks.
Protecting Public Interest: Fraudulent Land Patents and Prior Rights of Occupancy
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on tenant redemption rights, public property protection, and the limits of agrarian reform adjudication.
Defective Free Patent Prior Occupation Nullifies Land Title
A free patent obtained over land already occupied by a school is void for fraud, and the title it produces cannot defeat prior possession.
When Attorney Negligence Doesnt Equal Extrinsic Fraud Protecting Final Judgments
The Supreme Court clarifies that a lawyer's negligence, without malice or connivance with the adverse party, does not constitute extrinsic fraud to annul final judgments.
Estafa by Concealing Documents: What the Capulong Case Teaches About Fraud and Liability
The Supreme Court clarifies when concealing documents like a vehicle's OR-CR amounts to estafa under the Revised Penal Code.
Breach OF Trust Dismissal FOR Court Employees IN Title Reconstitution Fraud
Trust Receipt Violations and Preliminary Attachment: Safeguarding Creditor Rights
Supreme Court clarifies when trust receipt violations justify preliminary attachment, protecting creditors from fraudulent debtors.
Tax Evasion and Prescription: The Statute of Limitations in Philippine Tax Law
The Supreme Court clarifies when the three-year prescriptive period for tax assessment applies, and why fraud must be proven to trigger the ten-year rule.
Unraveling Fraud Protecting Heirs Rights IN Property Disputes
The Supreme Court clarifies when heirs can pursue quieting of title and reconveyance despite allegations of fraud and laches.
Identity Theft in the Legal Profession: Striking a Fraudulent Attorney From the Roll
A man used his brother's identity to pass the Bar. The Supreme Court struck the name from the Roll and barred him forever.
Annulment of Judgment in the Philippines: Strict Rules on Extrinsic Fraud and Lack of Jurisdiction
Philippine Supreme Court explains the strict requirements for annulment of judgment, limited to extrinsic fraud or lack of jurisdiction.