- Petitioner
- Damaso T. Ambray
- Respondent
- Sylvia A. Tsourous
- Citation
- G.R. No. 209264
- Court
- Supreme Court
- Division
- First Division
- Ponente
- Perlas-Bernabe, J.
- Decided
- July 5, 2016
Summary
This Supreme Court case involves a family property dispute over Lot 2-C in San Pablo City among siblings of the Ambray family. Respondents challenged the validity of a 1978 Deed of Absolute Sale that conveyed the property to their brothers (petitioners), claiming their deceased parents' signatures were forged. The RTC and CA nullified the sale and title, finding the deed spurious based on circumstantial evidence and timing inconsistencies. However, the Supreme Court reversed, holding that the direct testimony of the deceased mother Estela in a prior criminal case, where she authenticated the signatures, constituted superior evidence over the NBI handwriting expert's report. The Court applied the former testimony rule and emphasized that notarized documents enjoy presumption of authenticity. The decision upheld the validity of the property sale and dismissed the complaint for annulment of title.