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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Attachment and Fraud: When Promises Fail to Secure Preliminary Remedies
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on when fraud justifies preliminary attachment and limits on dissolving the writ.
Moral Damages for Defamation: When Insulting Words Violate Human Dignity
The Supreme Court affirms moral damages for public humiliation under Article 26 of the Civil Code, protecting human dignity beyond criminal defamation.
Contractor's Lien vs. Insolvency: Enforcement Rights in Construction Disputes
The Supreme Court clarifies when a contractor's lien under Article 2242 of the Civil Code can be enforced, and the proper remedy for wrongful attachment.
Power Rate Differentials: When Regulators May Favor Utilities Over Direct Consumers
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on ERB authority to set power rate differentials between utilities and direct industrial consumers.
When Self Defense Fails: Unlawful Aggression as a Prerequisite in Homicide Cases
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on why self-defense fails when unlawful aggression ceases, using a police officer's homicide conviction as the key example.
Statutory Rape Conviction Upheld Despite Lack of Physical Evidence
The Supreme Court affirms a statutory rape conviction, ruling that an intact hymen and lack of physical injuries do not negate carnal knowledge.
Continued Possession Prevents Prescription in Land Reconveyance Cases
Philippine Supreme Court ruling: an action for reconveyance cannot be barred by prescription when the plaintiff remains in possession of the disputed land.
Overtaking at a Curve: Determining Negligence and Liability in Vehicular Accidents
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on overtaking at curves, negligence presumption, and common carrier liability for passenger deaths.
Power Rate Differentials: ERB Authority to Protect Utility Companies Upheld
Supreme Court affirms ERB power to set rate differentials favoring utilities over direct industrial customers of NAPOCOR.
Upholding Witness Testimony Positive Identification Over Alibi IN Murder Conviction
Positive Identification Overrides Alibi: Examining Witness Credibility and Delayed Reporting in Criminal Convi
The Supreme Court affirms a homicide conviction, rejecting self-defense, and clarifies the rules on witness credibility and delayed reporting.
Contractors Lien vs Preliminary Attachment: Rights in Construction Disputes
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when a contractor's lien applies and how preliminary attachment works in construction payment disputes.
Positive Identification Prevails Over Alibi in Murder Conviction
Supreme Court affirms murder conviction where eyewitness positively identified the accused, rejecting alibi and denial defenses. Learn the legal rules.
Lease Renewal Clauses: Mutual Consent vs Unilateral Option Under Philippine Law
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when a lease renewal clause requires mutual consent rather than a unilateral lessee option, with practical guidance.
Distinguishing Homicide From Robbery With Homicide: Intent Is the Decisive Factor
The Supreme Court explains when taking a victim's property after a killing is theft, not robbery with homicide.
Summary Procedure and Motions for Reconsideration: Scope of Prohibited Pleadings Clarified
A judge may validly act on a motion for reconsideration of a dismissal order in summary procedure cases, as clarified by the Supreme Court.
Wage Order Obligations: Contractor and Principal Liability in Security Service Agreements
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when security agencies can recover wage order increases from principals under solidary liability rules.
Motion for Reconsideration Under Summary Procedure: The Lucas Doctrine
When can a litigant file a motion for reconsideration under summary procedure? The Supreme Court clarifies the exception for dismissal orders.
Judicial Employees and Immorality: Ethics Standards in the Philippine Judiciary
Supreme Court dismisses two court employees for illicit affair, reaffirming high moral standards for judiciary personnel.
Forgery in Land Sales: Upholding Final Judgments Against Claims of Extrinsic Fraud
A Supreme Court ruling explains why a buyer who admitted a deed of sale was forged cannot later overturn the final judgment by claiming extrinsic fraud.
Expropriation and Writ of Possession: What the 1997 Rules Changed
Learn how the 1997 Rules of Court streamlined expropriation, making writs of possession ministerial upon deposit of assessed value.
Execution Pending Appeal: Financial Distress Alone Is Not a Good Reason
The Supreme Court clarifies that a corporation's financial distress is not, by itself, a "good reason" for execution pending appeal.
Life Insurance Contracts: When Does an Application Become a Binding Agreement
Philippine Supreme Court explains when a life insurance application becomes a binding contract, using Perez v. BF Lifeman as guide.
Eminent Domain: Necessity, Procedure, and the Writ of Possession in Philippine Law
The Supreme Court explains when the government may expropriate private land, the necessity requirement, and the rule on writs of possession.