HowtoWriteaCaseDigest

PostedbyDioryRabajanteonSunday,April4,2010Under:tips
Acasedigestoracasebriefisawrittensummaryofthecase.Acasesometimesinvolvesseveralissues.
Digestingthesamewouldhelpthestudentinseparatingoneissuefromanotherandunderstandinghowthe
Courtresolvedtheissuesinthecase.Thestudentdoesnotneedtodiscussalltheissuesdecidedinthe
caseinhiscasedigest.Heonlyneedstofocusontherelevantissueortheissuerelatedtothesubjectthat
heistaking.Acasedigestmayalsoserveasausefulstudyaidforclassdiscussionsandexams.Astudent
whohasacasedigestdoesnotneedtogobacktothecaseinordertorememberwhathehasread.

FormatoftheCaseDigest

I.Caption.Thisincludesthetitleofthecase,thedateitwasdecided,andcitation.Includealsothepetitioner,
respondent,andtheponente.

II.Facts.Thereisnoneedtoincludeallthefacts.Justincludethosethatarerelevanttothesubject.

III.Issues.Includeonlythosethatarerelevant.Issuesareusuallyframedintheformofquestionsthatare
answerableby"yes"or"no,"forexample,"Isthecontractvoid?"Sometimes,studentsframethequestionby
startingitwiththeword"whether,"forexample,"Whetherthecontractisvoid"or"Whetherornotthe
contractisvoid."Theanswertothequestionhastobeansweredintheruling.

IV.Ruling.Thisusuallystartswitha"yes"ora"no."Thisistheanswertothequestion/sinvolvingtheissue.
Afterthecategoricalyes/noanswer,thereasonforthedecisionwillbeexplained.

V.ConcurringandDissentingOpinions.Thispartisoptional,butitwouldhelptoincludethembecausethere
areprofessorswhoaskforseparateopinionsinrecitations.

SampleCaseDigest

DOMINGOVS.COURTOFAPPEALS

226SCRA572

Petitioner:RobertoDomingo

Respondents:CourtofAppealsandDeliaSoledadAvera

Ponente:J.Romero

FACTS:

OnMay29,1991,privaterespondentDeliaSoledadA.Domingofiledthepetitionentitled"Declarationof
NullityofMarriageandSeparationofProperty"againstRobertoDomingo.Thepetition,whichwasfiled
beforePasigRTC,allegedthefollowing:

(a)theyweremarriedonNovember29,1976
(b)unknowntoher(Delia),hehadapreviousmarriagewithEmerinadelaPazonApril25,1969which
marriageisvalidandstillexisting

(c)shecametoknowofthepriormarriageonlysometimein1983whenEmerinasuedthemforbigamy

(d)since1979,shehasbeenworkinginSaudiArabiaandisonlyabletostayinthePhilippineswhenshe
wouldavailoftheonemonthannualvacationleavegrantedbyheremployer

(e)Robertohasbeenunemployedandcompletelydependentuponherforsupportandsubsistence

(f)HerpersonalpropertiesamountingtoP350,000.00areunderthepossessionofRoberto,whodisposed
someofthesaidpropertieswithoutherknowledgeandconsent

(g)whileonhervacation,shediscoveredthathewascohabitingwithanotherwoman.

PetitionerfiledaMotiontoDismissonthegroundthatthedeclarationoftheirmarriage,whichisvoidab
initio,issuperfluousandunnecessary.Hefurthersuggestedthatprivaterespondentshouldhavefiledan
ordinarycivilactionfortherecoveryofthepropertiesallegedtohavebeenacquiredbytheirunion.

RTCandCAdismissedthepetitioner'smotionforlackofmerit.

ISSUES:

1)Whetherornotapetitionforjudicialdelarationofavoidmarriageisnecessary.(Ifintheaffirmative,
whetherthesameshouldbefiledonlyforpurposeofremarriage.)

2)Whetherornotthepetitionentitled"DeclarationofNullityofMarriageandSeparationofProperty"isthe
properremedyofprivaterespondenttorecovercertainrealandpersonalpropertiesallegedlybelongingto
herexclusively.

HELD:

1)Yes.Thenullificationofamarriageforthepurposeofcontractinganothercannotbeaccomplishedmerely
onthebasisoftheperceptionofbothpartiesorofonethattheirunionisdefective.Werethisso,this
inviolablesocialinstitutionwouldbereducedtoamockeryandwouldrestonaveryshakyfoundation.

Ontheotherhand,theclause"onthebasissolelyofafinaljudgmentdelaringsuchmarriagevoid"inArticle
40oftheCodedenotesthatsuchfinaljudgmentdeclaringthepreviousmarriagevoidisnotonlyforpurpose
ofremarriage.

2)Yes.Theprayerfordeclarationofabsolutenullityofmarriagemayberaisedtogetherwiththeother
incidentoftheirmarriagesuchastheseparationoftheirproperties.TheFamilyCodehasclearlyprovided
theeffectsofthedeclarationofnullityofmarriage,oneofwhichistheseparationofpropertyaccordingto
theregimeofpropertyrelationsgoverningthem.

Hence,SCdeniedtheinstantpetition.CA'sdecisionisaffirmed.