ALBENSON ENTERPRISES CORP., JESSE YAP, AND BENJAMIN MENDIONA, vs. THE COURT OF APPEALS AND EUGENIO S. BALTAO.
- G.R. Number: G.R. No. 88694
- Promulgated: 1993-01-11
- Ponente: Bidin, J.
Doctrine
The appellate court may reduce awards of moral damages and attorney's fees while affirming the remainder of the trial court's decision.
Facts
This case is reported as G.R. No. 88694, promulgated 11 January 1993, decided by the Supreme Court Third Division.
The trial court rendered judgment in favor of plaintiff ordering defendants jointly and severally to pay actual/compensatory, moral, exemplary damages, attorney's fees, and costs.
Specifically, the trial court awarded P133,350.00 actual damages, P1,000,000.00 moral damages, P200,000.00 exemplary damages, and P100,000.00 attorney's fees; counterclaims and bond claim were dismissed.
On appeal, the respondent court modified the trial court by reducing moral damages to P500,000.00 and attorney's fees to P50,000.00, affirming the decision in other respects, with costs against appellants.
Issues
Whether the appellate court properly modified the trial court's awards of moral damages and attorney's fees.
Ruling
The appellate court modified the trial court's judgment by reducing moral damages from P1,000,000.00 to P500,000.00 and attorney's fees from P100,000.00 to P50,000.00, and affirmed the decision in all other respects; costs were imposed on appellants.
Keywords
G.R. No. 88694, moral damages, attorney's fees, Batas Pambansa Bilang 22, malicious prosecution, abuse of rights, Article 21 Civil Code, Article 2219 Civil Code, Article 2176 Civil Code, preliminary investigation, dishonored check, compensatory damages, exemplary damages, jointly and severally, cause of action, check, baltao, eugenio, private, guaranteed