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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Disputed Inheritance: Proving Ownership in Land Claims After a Family Fallout
A Supreme Court ruling on proving land ownership in family disputes, where a photocopied title and bare claims failed against a registered certificate of title.
Proving Filiation for Inheritance: Delayed Birth Registration in Philippine Law
A Supreme Court ruling clarifies how delayed birth registrations and other evidence establish filiation for inheritance claims in the Philippines.
Preterition in Philippine Wills: When Omitting a Compulsory Heir Invalidates Inheritance
Learn how preterition—omitting a compulsory heir—can annul a will's heir institution under Philippine law, with insights from Trinidad v. Trinidad.
Acquisitive Prescription and Partition: Understanding Property Rights in the Philippines
Learn how acquisitive prescription and partition work in Philippine property law through a recent Supreme Court ruling on family inheritance disputes.
Heirship Disputes: Why Summary Judgments Fail When Inheritance Rights Are Unclear
Supreme Court explains why summary judgment cannot resolve contested heirship and inheritance rights in estate administration cases.
Heirship in Property Disputes: Can Ordinary Civil Actions Decide Inheritance?
The Supreme Court clarifies when heirship can be resolved in an ordinary civil action, not just special proceedings, for property disputes.
Establishing Filiation: Why Paternity Proof Is Critical in Inheritance Claims
The Supreme Court clarifies that a birth certificate alone cannot prove paternity for inheritance claims unless the alleged father participated in its preparation.
Oral Partition of Inheritance: Validity and Evidentiary Rules in Philippine Law
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when oral partition of inherited land is valid, evidentiary requirements, and homestead patent limits on implied trusts.
Oral Partition of Inheritance: Proving Verbal Agreements in Philippine Law
The Supreme Court clarifies when an oral partition of inherited property can override a written extrajudicial settlement, and what evidence is needed.
Overcoming Inheritance Disputes: How Courts Decide Property Sales Among Heirs
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on when a sale of inherited property among heirs may be voided and the land partitioned equally.
Torrens Titles, Inheritance Claims, and Ejectment: Key Lessons from Mariano v. Mariano
A Supreme Court ruling clarifies how Torrens titles prevail over inheritance claims in ejectment cases, and why delays in challenging fraudulent partitions can be fatal.
Unlocking Inheritance Rights Understanding Illegitimate Childrens Entitlement TO Estate Partition IN THE Phili
The Supreme Court clarifies how illegitimate children inherit from their father's estate and when they can demand partition.
Proving Legitimate Filiation: Key to Winning Philippine Inheritance Claims
Learn how the Supreme Court's ruling in Bernardo v. Fernando clarifies what evidence proves legitimate filiation for inheritance claims.
Proving Inheritance The Burden OF Evidence IN Philippine Property Disputes
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies what evidence is needed to prove a certificate of title existed before reconstitution is granted.
Baptismal Certificates and Inheritance Rights: Proving Filiation in Property Disputes
Learn how the Supreme Court clarified when baptismal certificates can prove filiation and inheritance rights in Philippine property disputes.
Co-Ownership Disputes: How Inheritance and Sales Affect Land Rights in the Philippines
A Supreme Court ruling clarifies when administrative orders on land disputes become final and how co-ownership, inheritance, and sales affect property rights.
Prior Sale Beats Inheritance: Supreme Court on Land Ownership Disputes
When a valid sale predates an inheritance claim, the buyer owns the land. The Supreme Court explains why Article 1544 on double sales does not apply.
Land Registration: Overcoming the State's Presumptive Ownership of Public Lands
The Supreme Court clarifies that buyers and heirs of land must prove it is alienable and disposable—not just show a deed or inheritance—to register title.
Heirs Inheritance Rights Partitioning Property Despite Unsettled Estates
Partition suits need the property's assessed value in the complaint; otherwise, courts lack jurisdiction and the case is dismissed.
Proving Filiation After Death: The Strict Rules on Inheritance Claims
Philippine law sets strict evidence rules for proving filiation after a parent's death. Learn what the Supreme Court requires in inheritance disputes.
Baptismal Certificates and Filiation: Proving Legal Parentage in Inheritance Disputes
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies that baptismal and marriage certificates alone cannot prove filiation for inheritance claims, citing Family Code rules.
Inheritance Limits: Heirs' Liability in Property Disputes Clarified
The Supreme Court rules that heirs impleaded in property cases are liable only up to their inherited shares, not beyond.
Heirs Obligations Settling Debts Before Inheritance Distribution
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on heirs' duty to settle decedent's debts before inheritance distribution, including interest rules.
Establishing Filiation: The Complexities of Inheritance Rights for Illegitimate Children in the Philippines
The Supreme Court clarifies how illegitimate children prove filiation and inherit, and why unprobated wills fail in estate claims.