- Petitioner
- Alterado
- Respondent
- Rustan Commercial
- Citation
- G.R. No. 249864
- Court
- Supreme Court
- Division
- First Division
- Decided
- July 6, 2022
Summary
July Alterado was convicted of qualified theft for allegedly stealing P36M worth of jewelry from employer Rustan Commercial Corporation and ordered to pay civil liability. The Court of Appeals acquitted her, finding insufficient evidence of unlawful taking. When RCC sought execution of the civil liability portion, the trial court denied it, but the CA ordered execution, ruling acquittal on reasonable doubt doesn't extinguish civil liability. The Supreme Court reversed, finding the acquittal was actually based on lack of proof of theft, not reasonable doubt. Since no unlawful taking was established, no civil liability could exist. The Court emphasized that imposing such massive liability without proven wrongdoing would be fundamentally unjust, reinstating the trial court's denial of execution.