Practice question
A seller presents a clean registered title. Before completing the purchase, the buyer visits the property and is told by its long-term occupants that they claim ownership under an earlier transaction. The buyer refuses to review any documents or ask further questions, pays the balance immediately, and then invokes the mirror doctrine as an absolute defense. Which is correct?
- The doctrine does not protect deliberate disregard of the disclosed occupancy and competing claim; good faith must be established on the actual facts
- A clean title automatically erases actual notice
- Payment of the balance automatically defeats the occupants’ claim
- The occupants’ presence is legally invisible
- The doctrine eliminates every duty of prudence in every transaction
Legal references
- G.R. 215038, October 17, 2016, main opinion: https://lawphil.net/judjuris/juri2016/oct2016/gr_215038_2016.html
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