ENGLE V DOE (August 7, 1925)

The plaintiff, through his friend Womack claimed that while he was admitted in St. Lukes
Hospital for treatment because of his serious physical and mental disorders, the defendant with
the aid of her friends, induced and coerced Floyd Engle to go through a marriage ceremony
knowing full well that Floyd was out of his mind. After procuring the marriage certificate,
defendant went home to Tacloban and took possession of Floyds properties.

The defendant denied the allegations and said that for the last 14 years. She has been living
martially with the same plaintiff and had six children. She claims that they were legally married
while the plaintiff was in full command of his sanity and that he entered the contract freely.
That plaintiff was only induced by his friends to file the complaint and was in fact, completely
lucid and sane.

ISSUE: WON the plaintiff was mentally deranged to such an extent that he was incapable of
entering into the marriage contract and therefore the marriage between the plaintiff and
defendant Is null and void ab initio. - NO

HELD: The evidence, particularly the testimony of the physician who treated Floyd is conclusive
that at the time he was admitted to the hospital, he was of unsound mind and it tends to show
that his disease is incurable. And that under Corpus Juris vol 32, pp 757-758.

Sec 561 (2). Continuance of Insanity Once insanity is proved to exist, it is presumed to continue
and if a recovery or lucid interval is alleged to have occurred, the burden of proof is on the
person making it.

Sec 562 (b) When an insanity has once existed and that a subsequent act was done in a lucid
interval, sanity must be shown as of the very time of the act in question. It is not sufficient to
show a lucid interval before and after the day of the act.

Applying this rule, the defendant has failed to prove that Floyd was lucid when he contracted
their marriage. The decision of the lower court is affirmed.