Ellworth C. Bandies v. Hope F. Baylon-Bandies

Summary

This case involves a petition to void a marriage on the ground of absence of a marriage license. Petitioner Ellworth Bandies sought to nullify his marriage to respondent Hope Baylon-Bandies, claiming no marriage license was issued. However, their marriage certificate clearly showed Marriage License No. 0006386. The local civil registrar's certification merely stated that the license could not be found in archives, but did not categorically declare that no license was ever issued. The Court of Appeals upheld the marriage's validity, and the Supreme Court denied the petition, emphasizing that for a marriage to be void due to license absence, such absence must be apparent on the marriage contract or definitively certified. The Court also noted that the issues were factual in nature, inappropriate for Rule 45 review, and that lower courts' factual findings deserve great weight when consistently affirmed.