Text of the provision
Art. 2220. Willful injury to property may be a legal ground for awarding moral damages if the court should find that, under the circumstances, such damages are justly due. The same rule applies to breaches of contract where the defendant acted fraudulently or in bad faith.
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
Willful injury to property may ground moral damages if the court finds it justified. The same rule applies to breaches of contract where the defendant acted fraudulently or in bad faith — ordinary breach alone is not enough.
Questions about this provision
- Someone deliberately smashed up my property out of spite — can I claim moral damages for that?
- The developer deliberately reneged on our contract — can I claim moral damages for a mere breach of contract?
Related provisions
- Article 2219 — When Moral Damages May Be Recovered.
- Article 2221 — Nominal Damages Defined.
Cases citing this article
- Mariano Mendoza and Elvira Lim vs. Spouses Leonora J. Gomez and Gabriel V. Gomez, G.R. No. 160110, June 18, 2014 — read the decision on LawPhil →
- People of the Philippines vs. Salvador Tulagan, G.R. No. 227363, March 12, 2019 — read the decision on LawPhil →
- Rodolfo N. Regala vs. Federico P. Carin, G.R. No. 188715, April 6, 2011 — read the decision on LawPhil →
- RCPI vs. Alfonso Verchez, et al, G.R. No. 164349, January 31, 2006 — read the decision on LawPhil →
- Enrico B. Villanueva, et al. vs. Sps. Alejo Salvador and Virginia Salvador, G.R. No. 139436, January 25, 2006 — 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.