Rosario D. Ado-An-Morimoto v. Yoshio Morimoto

Summary

Rosario sought to nullify her registered marriage to Yoshio, claiming it was simulated for visa purposes. They signed a blank marriage certificate in 2007 but no actual ceremony occurred. Despite certifications proving no marriage license was issued and the Philippine Statistics Authority admitting their error in certifying the marriage, both the Regional Trial Court and Court of Appeals denied the nullity petition. The Supreme Court reversed, holding that simulated marriages lacking genuine consent and proper requisites are void ab initio. The Court emphasized that allowing such fraudulent marriages to stand would damage the institution of marriage more than readily declaring them null. The marriage was declared totally fictitious and inexistent, warranting nullity rather than judicial validation of a transactional arrangement.