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A WOMAN from Cagayan de Oro City has been ordered to pay more than P500,000 in damages for falsely claiming to be a legal spouse and heir, following a ruling by the Supreme Court (SC).

In an 18-page decision, the SC Second Division ruled that a person harmed by fraudulent claims may pursue a separate civil case for damages even if related criminal cases are pending, rejecting arguments that such claims are automatically barred by procedural rules.

The High Court reinstated a trial court ruling that found Maria (not her real name) liable for damages after she falsely represented herself as the legal wife of a deceased property owner and used that claim to obtain new land titles.

False heir claim

The case stemmed from the death of Dan (not his real name) in 2007. Following his death, Maria executed an affidavit of self-adjudication, claiming she was Dan’s lawful wife and that her minor son was his heir. Using this claim, she adjudicated to herself and her child several properties registered in Dan’s name.

Maria later filed petitions alleging that the owner’s duplicate copies of 15 land titles had been lost. Courts initially granted her request and issued new owner’s duplicate certificates of title.

Dan’s brother, Jimmy (not his real name), later challenged the move in 2009 after discovering that the original titles were never lost and were in his possession. He also presented certifications from the National Statistics Office (later renamed as the Philippine...

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