Buccat v.

Buccat
72 Phil 49 April 25, 1941 Ponente: Avancena, TOPIC: Fraud
C.J.
Recit Summary:

Facts:

Godofredo Buccat and Luida Buccat were married in this case. On February 23, 1939 (89 days
after getting married) Luida, who was 9 months pregnant, gave birth to a son. Godofredo
Buccat eventually left Luida and filed for an annulment of their marriage on the grounds that
when he agreed to marry Luida, she assured him that she was a virgin.

The lower court decided in favor of Luida.

Issue: Dispositive:

Whether or not the concealment of the The Supreme Court AFFIRMED the lower
pregnancy of Luida before marriage constituted court’s decision.
fraud as a ground for annulment.

Held:

No. Clear and authentic proof is needed in order to nullify a marriage, a sacred institution in
which the State is interested and where society rests.

In the case at hand, the court did not find any proof that there was concealment of pregnancy
constituting fraud as a ground for annulment. It was unlikely that Godofredo, a first-year law
student, did not suspect anything about Luida’s condition considering that she was in an
advanced stage of pregnancy when they got married.