Judicial Conduct: Upholding Impartiality and Addressing Allegations of Unjust Decisions
The Supreme Court dismissed a complaint against a judge, ruling that judicial acts are shielded unless tainted by bad faith, fraud, or corruption.
Losing a case is frustrating. It is tempting to conclude that the judge simply got it wrong — or worse, that the judge was out to get you. In Frani v. Judge Ernesto P. Pagayatan (A.M. No. RTJ-01-1626, August 28, 2001), the Supreme Court drew the line between a wrong decision and a disciplinable one, and reminded litigants that the remedy for an erroneous judgment is review, not an administrative charge filed while an appeal is still pending.
What the complainant alleged
Joselito D. Frani was the defendant in SP Civil Case No. R-1105, an action for injunction with a prayer for
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