Text of the provision
Art. 2142. Certain lawful, voluntary and unilateral acts give rise to the juridical relation of quasi-contract to the end that no one shall be unjustly enriched or benefited at the expense of another.
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Civil Code of the Philippines, Republic Act No. 386, approved June 18, 1949, effective August 30, 1950. Reproduced in full; verified verbatim against the LawPhil and ChanRobles official-text renderings.
What this article means
Certain lawful, voluntary, and unilateral acts give rise to a quasi-contract so that no one is unjustly enriched at another's expense. The overarching principle of the quasi-contract title.
What separates a quasi-contract from an ordinary contract is the absence of any agreement between the parties — no offer, no acceptance, no meeting of minds — yet the law still imposes an obligation because leaving the situation alone would let one person keep a benefit at another's cost without any just reason. The Chapters that follow give concrete shape to this principle through named quasi-contracts such as negotiorum gestio, where someone manages another's affairs without being asked, and solutio indebiti, where a payment is made by mistake; Article 2142 is the reasoning that ties all of them together.
Questions about this provision
- Do I have to pay homeowners' association dues even if I never signed anything with the association?
- I never signed any contract with someone yet they are demanding reimbursement — can I be legally obliged to pay without an agreement?
- I paid a downpayment on a lot but the sale never pushed through, and the seller refuses to return my money — can I get it back even without a written contract?
Related provisions
- Article 2140 — Chattel Mortgage Defined.
- Article 2143 — Other Quasi-Contracts.
Cases citing this article
- National Power Corporation vs. Premier Shipping Lines, Inc, G.R. No. 179103, September 17, 2009 — read the decision on LawPhil →
- In the Matter of Urgent Petition for the Release of Prisoners on Humanitarian Grounds, G.R. No. 252117, July 28, 2020 — read the decision on LawPhil →
- American Power Conversion Corporation, et al. vs. Jason Yu Lim, G.R. No. 214291, January 11, 2018 — read the decision on LawPhil →
- A & C Minimart Corp. vs. Patricia S. Villareal, et al, G.R. No. 172268, October 10, 2007 — read the decision on LawPhil →
- Atty. Martin T. Suelto vs. Nelson A. Sison, et al, G.R. No. 158130, July 29, 2005 — read the decision on LawPhil →
Compiled automatically from Supreme Court decisions published on LawPhil that expressly cite this article, most frequently cited first. A listing means the decision cites the provision — it is not a statement that the case is the leading authority, and it does not show whether a ruling has since been modified or abandoned. Always read the decision itself.