18 hours Ago
The testimonies of a spouse’s family and friends can help prove psychological incapacity in cases seeking to nullify a marriage, according to the Supreme Court (SC). This was reaffirmed by the SC Second Division as it declared the marriage of a couple null and void due to the wife’s psychological incapacity. “Psychological assessments based on testimonies of petitioner, respondent, respondent’s mother, and the spouses’ mutual friend may be given credence, unless there are reasons to believe that the testimonies are fabricated,” the SC said in an 18-page decision.
“As long as the totality of evidence establishes petitioners’ psychological incapacity, the declaration of nullity of marriage is warranted,” it added. The SC said the husband filed a petition to nullify their marriage and submitted a psychiatric evaluation report based on tests and interviews with himself, his wife, a mutual friend, and the wife’s mother. The wife was said to frequently mismanage their finances, leading to debts up to P4 million.
She was also accused of cheating and lying about the paternity of their child. Both the regional trial court and the Court of Appeals granted the petition. This led the woman to file a petition before the SC.
“All told, since petitioner has grave and incurable psychological incapacity, consisting of her personality structure rooted from her childhood and manifested during marriage, her marriage with respondent is declared null and void,” it said. The decision, penned by Senior Associate Justice Marvic Leonen, was promulgated in February 2025. —VAL, GMA Integrated News.
