Philippine Civil Code Art. 1421: Void and Inexistent

Statute: Philippine Civil Code
Article: Art. 1421
Topic: Void and Inexistent Contracts
Status: In force
Book: BOOK IV Obligations and Contracts
Title: TITLE II CONTRACTS
Chapter: CHAPTER 9 Void and Inexistent Contracts
Year: 1949
Cited by: A Supreme Court decision

The provision

The defense of illegality of contract is not available to third persons whose interests are not directly affected.

Intellegal Wiki · In plain terms

The argument that a contract is illegal, and therefore unenforceable, can only be raised by people whose interests the contract directly affects. Outsiders whose interests are not directly touched by the agreement cannot invoke its illegality as a defense.

An editorially maintained plain-language explanation of this provision — not legal advice.

Cases applying this article

Rapid City Realty v. Lourdes Estudillo Paez-Cline Alias Lourdes Paez-Villa G.R. No. 217148

Related provisions in this Chapter

Civil Code, Art. 1422 Void and Inexistent Contracts
Civil Code, Art. 1419 Void and Inexistent Contracts
Civil Code, Art. 1418 Void and Inexistent Contracts
Civil Code, Art. 1416 Void and Inexistent Contracts
Civil Code, Art. 1414 Void and Inexistent Contracts
Civil Code, Art. 1413 Void and Inexistent Contracts
Civil Code, Art. 1412 Void and Inexistent Contracts
Civil Code, Art. 1411 Void and Inexistent Contracts

Civil Code, Art. 1421 is found in CHAPTER 9 Void and Inexistent Contracts of TITLE II CONTRACTS of BOOK IV Obligations and Contracts of the Civil Code of the Philippines (Republic Act No. 386).

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Reviewed by the Intellegal Legal Team for currency against amending laws and Supreme Court jurisprudence.

Research aid — not legal advice. Verify the current text against the Official Gazette. Provisions may have been amended or repealed. Using this page creates no attorney-client relationship. For legal advice, consult a Philippine lawyer.