Angela C. Garcia v. Joaquin del Rosario

Summary

This 1916 breach of promise to marry case involved Angela Garcia, a public school teacher, who sued Joaquin del Rosario for damages after he failed to fulfill his promise to marry her. Garcia had intimate relations with del Rosario based on his marriage commitment, became pregnant, and resigned her P30/month teaching position at his urging. When del Rosario refused to marry her, the Supreme Court affirmed a P540 damage award under Article 1902 of the Civil Code, representing 1.5 years of lost teaching salary. The decision established that concrete economic losses directly resulting from reasonable reliance on a marriage promise are recoverable as damages, with the court finding del Rosario's own letters provided compelling evidence of his marriage commitment and that plaintiff's resignation was proximately caused by defendant's promise and subsequent breach.