How Philippine courts compute damages in civil cases: proving actual damages, lost earnings and the loss-of-earning-capacity formula, temperate, moral, nominal and exemplary damages, legal interest, and what reduces an award, with worked examples.
Quick answer: An injured party must take reasonable steps to reduce avoidable loss after learning of a breach. The mitigation rule in Civil Code Article 2203 does not require extraordinary expense or unreasonable risk, but damages may be reduced when the claimant’s own failure to act aggravated the loss. Governing rule The duty to mitigate…
Quick answer: Actual or compensatory damages require competent proof of a real pecuniary loss caused by the breach. As the Supreme Court reiterates in G.R. No. 200942, courts do not award actual damages based on speculation, unsupported estimates, or the mere fact that a contract was violated. Governing rule Actual damages are one of the…
Learn when lost wages or earning capacity may be recovered after an injury in the Philippines and what employees, freelancers, and business owners should use to prove the claim.
Learn when moral damages may be awarded in the Philippines, what must be proven, what evidence can support the claim, and when courts may deny recovery.
Philippine civil law recognizes actual, moral, nominal, temperate, liquidated, and exemplary damages. This guide explains what each type is for, what must be proven, and how to identify the right claim.