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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Constructive Dismissal When a Transfer and Floating Status Become Illegal Termination
When do a transfer and floating status cross the line into constructive dismissal? The Supreme Court explains in ICT Marketing v. Sales.
Corporate Asset Transfers: When Does a Buyer Inherit the Seller's Liabilities
Philippine Supreme Court clarifies when a corporation buying all assets of another also inherits its liabilities, under Section 40.
Buyers Right Prevails Enforcing Title Delivery IN Subdivision Sales
Supreme Court rules subdivision buyers who fully paid can compel title delivery despite later transfers to third parties.
When a Notary Lacks Authority: How Defective Notarization Can Void Property Transfers
Philippine Supreme Court ruling on defective notarization, judicial partition, and why notarized documents require a validly commissioned notary public.
Forged Deeds and Ejectment: Protecting Co-Ownership Rights in Family Property Disputes
When a forged deed transfers family property, can the fraudulent titleholder evict co-owner heirs? The Supreme Court says no.
Mergers and Documentary Stamp Tax: Clarifying Tax Exemptions for Corporate Restructuring
Supreme Court clarifies that real property transfers pursuant to a merger are not subject to documentary stamp tax under the NIRC.
Election Law Defining Transfer and Safeguarding Management Prerogatives During Election Periods
The Supreme Court clarifies what counts as a prohibited transfer during election periods, balancing COMELEC rules with management prerogatives.
Reconstitution of Lost Titles: Supreme Court Clarifies Rules on Owner's Duplicate and ROD Certifications
Supreme Court clarifies when a lost owner's duplicate title and ROD certifications suffice for judicial reconstitution of a transfer certificate of title.
Expropriation: When Legal Interest and Consequential Damages Are Justified
The Supreme Court clarifies when legal interest and consequential damages apply in expropriation cases, and who pays transfer taxes.
Attorney Suspended for Misusing Client Funds and Negligence in Title Transfer
A lawyer's two-year suspension for mishandling client funds and negligence in property title transfer, and the ethical rules violated.
Attorney Suspended for Misappropriating Client Funds: Upholding Trust in Legal Practice
Supreme Court suspends lawyer for three months for failing to return client funds intended for transfer taxes, reaffirming lawyers' fiduciary duties.
Excise Tax on Tobacco: Clarifying the Scope of Tax Exemptions for Stemmed Leaf Transfers
The Supreme Court clarifies when stemmed leaf tobacco transfers between manufacturers are exempt from excise tax under Philippine law.
Mergers and Documentary Stamp Tax: Clarifying Tax Obligations in Corporate Restructuring
The Supreme Court clarifies when documentary stamp tax applies to property transfers in corporate mergers under the National Internal Revenue Code.
Electoral Law: Defining Prohibited Personnel Actions During Election Periods
Supreme Court clarifies that not every personnel movement during election period is a prohibited transfer or detail under election law.
Ownership in Reclamation Projects: Defining Completion and Compensation
Supreme Court clarifies when ownership of improvements transfers in reclamation contracts, ruling on COA disallowance and compensation rights.
When a Judge Oversteps: Gross Ignorance of the Law in Administrative Cases
A judge who assumed jurisdiction over a BIR employee's transfer case was suspended for gross ignorance of the law. Learn the jurisdictional limits.
Reinstatement vs Return to Work: Clarifying Employment Rights After a Transfer
A Supreme Court ruling clarifies that reinstatement only applies to illegal dismissal, while a valid transfer requires a return to work order.
Electronic Fund Transfers and Documentary Stamp Tax: Navigating Tax Laws in the Digital Age
The Supreme Court ruled that electronic fund transfer instructions are not bills of exchange subject to documentary stamp tax under Section 181.
Corporate Transparency: Enforcing Stockholder Rights to Inspect Corporate Records
Supreme Court clarifies when refusal to allow inspection of corporate records and stock and transfer books is punishable under the Corporation Code.
Lease Agreements and Inheritance: What Tenants Should Know About Property Transfers
A lessee's occupancy does not create a vested right to buy property. Learn the limits of tenant rights when ownership changes.
Nominal Damages Liability of a Third Party Transferee in Property Disputes
A third-party buyer of property cannot be held liable for nominal damages unless it violated the plaintiff's rights.
Agrarian Reform Land Transfer Validity Hinges on Prior Tenant Knowledge of Ownership Changes
A land sale executed before PD 27 must be known to tenants to bind them; otherwise, the land stays under Operation Land Transfer coverage.
Attachment Liens Priority Rights AND Protection IN Property Disputes
Learn how prior attachment liens survive property transfers and title cancellations, and why courts must preserve these encumbrances.
Attachment Liens Priority AND Protection IN Real Property Disputes
A prior attachment lien survives title cancellation and transfers, binding the property and subsequent purchasers until the debt is paid.