Practice question
An acquittal finds that the accused did not commit the charged theft. A claimant also alleges a separate, independently enforceable loan contract whose existence does not depend on that theft. Which is correct?
- The theft acquittal automatically cancels every loan.
- The claimant is automatically entitled to every amount alleged.
- The claimant may obtain a criminal conviction through the loan action.
- The ex delicto claim and the contractual claim have different sources; any surviving contract claim must be established through the proper civil procedure.
- The criminal judgment may be ignored for all purposes.
Legal references
- https://lawphil.net/courts/rules/rc_110-127_crim.html — Rule 111 section 2 and Rule 120 section 2: civil liability, nonexistence finding and acquittal judgment contents.
- https://lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra1949/ra_386_1949.html — Civil Code articles 29 and 31: reasonable-doubt acquittal and other sources.
- https://lawphil.net/judjuris/juri2024/jan2024/gr_246489_2024.html — Spouses Nuez v. Daz, G.R. 246489, January 29, 2024, main opinion: distinct acquittal grounds and civil consequences.
- https://lawphil.net/judjuris/juri2024/feb2024/gr_255308_2024.html — Paguirigan v. People, G.R. 255308, February 12, 2024, main opinion: reasonable-doubt acquittal with civil reimbursement.
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