Tupas v. Occidental

Summary

This Supreme Court case involves a widow's challenge to her deceased husband's donation inter vivos made one year before his death. Epifanio Tupas donated three lots to Tupas Foundation, Inc., leaving his widow Partenza Lucerna as sole compulsory heir practically without inheritance. The trial court dismissed her claim that the donation was inofficious, ruling the donated property was no longer part of the hereditary estate and donations to strangers weren't subject to collation. The Supreme Court reversed, establishing that all donations inter vivos—whether to compulsory heirs or strangers—are collationable and subject to reduction if they exceed the freely disposable portion and impair the legitime of compulsory heirs. The case clarifies important principles of succession law regarding inofficious donations and protection of compulsory heirs' inheritance rights under the Civil Code.