ni Atty. Persida Rueda-Acosta @Magtanong Kay Attorney | August 9, 2023
Dear Chief Acosta,
Ako at ang aking mga kaibigan ay naglilingkod sa isang aircon service company.
Makalipas ang ilang buwan, kami ay pinagdudahan ng isa sa aming mga amo. Ako ay pinaimbestigahan ng aking amo na nagdulot ng ‘di pagkakaunawaan sa aming magkakatrabaho. Dahil dito, ako at ang aking mga kaibigan ay nag-resign sa aming trabaho. Dahil sabay-sabay kaming nag-resign, nagalit ang aming amo at kami ay kinasuhan ng ‘malicious mischief’ dahil sa pagputol ‘di umano ng mga kable ng aircon sa isang event. Ito ay walang katotohanan at gawa-gawa lamang. Sa katunayan, nakabase lamang ang kanilang kaso sa salaysay ng isang guwardiya at wala ng iba.
Ano ang maaari naming gawin? - Dani
Dear Dani,
Ang iyong katanungan ay sinagot ng Korte Suprema sa kasong Menandro A. Sosmeña v. Benigno M. Bonafe, et al., G.R. No. 232677, June 8, 2020, Ponente: Honorable Associate Justice Amy C. Lazaro-Javier. Ayon sa nasabing desisyon, ang pagsasampa ng kaso nang walang basehan ay maaaring makonsiderang Malicious Prosecution, kung ang mga sumusunod ay mapatunayan:
“This Court has drawn the four elements that must be shown to concur to recover damages for malicious prosecution. Therefore, for a malicious prosecution suit to prosper, the plaintiff must prove the following: (1) the prosecution did occur, and the defendant was himself the prosecutor or that he instigated its commencement; (2) the criminal action finally ended with an acquittal; (3) in bringing the action, the prosecutor acted without probable cause; and (4) the prosecution was impelled by legal malice -- an improper or a sinister motive. The gravamen of malicious prosecution is not the filing of a complaint based on the wrong provision of law, but the deliberate initiation of an action with the knowledge that the charges were false and groundless.
Malicious prosecution does not only pertain to criminal prosecutions but also to any other legal proceeding such as a preliminary investigation.”
Sang-ayon sa nasabing kaso, may apat na elemento na dapat mapatunayan sa kasong Malicious Prosecution. Ang pinakamabigat sa mga ito ay kailangan na mapatunayan na ang pagsasampa ng kaso ay malisyoso sapagkat ito ay sinadya gayong alam ng nagkaso na ito ay pawang kasinungalingan at walang basehan. Sa kasong nabanggit sa itaas, binigyang-diin ng Korte Suprema kung paanong napatunayan na walang basehan ang nasabing kaso. Ayon sa Korte Suprema:
“As above-quoted, there is malice where a criminal complaint was initiated deliberately by a complainant knowing that his charges were false and groundless. So there must be deliberate initiation and knowledge of falsity or groundlessness of the charges. Concededly, as stated above, the mere act of submitting a case to the authorities for prosecution whether upon the correct or wrong provision of law does not make one liable for malicious prosecution.
The burden is upon respondents to prove malice upon the standard of proof of preponderance of evidence - is it more likely than not or probably true that petitioner knew that his charges against respondents were false and groundless and yet deliberately initiated the criminal complaints against them at the Office of the City Prosecutor in Pasay City.
The trial court and the Court of Appeals ruled that respondents have discharged their burden of proof. This Court agrees. We examine the established facts one by one to show that the trial court and the Court of Appeals correctly deduced therefrom the last two elements of malicious prosecution.
The common denominator of the facts, as the trial court and the Court of Appeals ruled, is petitioner’s ill will and bad blood towards respondents. That he was probably motivated by ill will and bad blood to complain against them is established.”
Gaya sa inyong kaso, kinakailangan ninyong mapatunayan ang pagiging malisyoso ng pagsasampa ng kaso laban sa inyo. Kinakailangan na makita ng korte na ito ay walang basehan o kasinungalingan lamang.
Sana ay nabigyan namin ng linaw ang iyong katanungan. Ang payong aming ibinigay ay base lamang sa mga impormasyon na iyong inilahad at maaaring magbago kung mababawasan o madaragdagan ang mga detalye ng iyong salaysay.
Maraming salamat sa inyong patuloy na pagtitiwala.
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