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.
Estafa Under Trust Receipt Agreements: The Osental Case and PD 115
Failure to comply with a trust receipt agreement can lead to estafa charges. Learn the rules from the Osental case.
Unlawful Detainer When Initial Objection Voids A Claim OF Tolerance
Supreme Court ruling on unlawful detainer, lease renewal options, and binding successors-in-interest in property law.
Understanding Documentary Stamp Tax on Trust Agreements: Insights from a Landmark Philippine Case
A Philippine Supreme Court ruling clarifies when documentary stamp tax applies to trust agreements and the evidence needed for tax refund claims.
Simulated Contracts Ownership Rights and Intent in Property Sales
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on simulated property sales, trust agreements, and ownership rights when intent is to circumvent banking laws.
Shareholder Rights Demanding Corporate Transparency Through Inspection Rights
Explaining the Supreme Court ruling on stockholder inspection rights under Section 74 of the Corporation Code and the limits of judicial review of prosecutorial findings.
Stare Decisis in Real Estate Disputes: When a Prior Ruling Binds Later Bank Cases
The Supreme Court applies stare decisis to dismiss a bank's reconveyance case, ruling that a prior finding of a void warehousing agreement binds all similar cases.
Accretion Rights and Innocent Purchasers: Resolving Land Ownership Disputes in the Philippines
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on accretion rights, reconveyance actions, and the protection of innocent purchasers for value in land disputes.
Judiciary Employees and Private Business: Maintaining Public Trust in Philippine Courts
Why Philippine court employees cannot engage in private business, explained through a 2008 Supreme Court ruling on a clerk of court's lending venture.
Breach of Trust Estafa Conviction for Misappropriated Purchase Orders
Supreme Court affirms estafa conviction when a seller used purchase order cards for personal benefit instead of remitting proceeds to the owner.
Real Party-in-Interest and CIAC Jurisdiction in Construction Disputes
The Supreme Court clarifies indispensable parties and CIAC jurisdiction in construction arbitration, using the Heritage Park case as a guide.
Loan or Trust: Resolving Estafa Charges in Investment Disputes
When does a failed investment become estafa? The Supreme Court clarifies the line between a simple loan and a criminal trust agreement.
Implied Trusts and Foreign Ownership: The Yap Heirs Case
The Supreme Court clarifies when implied trusts over Philippine land fail, and why constitutional restrictions on foreign ownership bar recovery.
Unmasking Express Trusts in Philippine Property Law: Co-Ownership vs True Ownership
When a deed of sale is actually an express trust, the titled "owner" holds only as trustee. This case explains the difference.
Implied Trusts in Philippine Property Law: When a Titleholder Is Not the True Owner
Learn how implied trusts work under Philippine law, the gift presumption for children under Article 1448, and key lessons from Morales v. Court of Appeals.