BAYANI VS PANAY ELECTRIC COOP. (PECO) GR 139680 APR 12, 2000

TORTS/II-INTENTIONAL TORTS/HUMAN RELATIONS/CATCH ALL PROVISIONS/ILLEGAL DISMISSAL

FACTS – PECO discontinued supplying electrical services to two pension houses owned by Bayani on the ground that the latter had been stealing electricity in said establishments. Subsequently, PECO filed 2 criminal complaints against Bayani for violation of RA 7832. The City Prosecutor dismissed the complaint. Hence, PECO appealed with the Sec of Justice.

Bayani filed an action for damages arising from malicious prosecution. (The RTC also approved Bayani’s petition for the issuance of a writ of preliminary mandatory injunction for PECO to restore electricity to said pension houses after putting up a surety bond. RTC also approved Bayani’s motion to substitute said surety with a cashier’s check.) PECO, in a petition for certiorari, sought, among others, to have the civil case dismissed.

Meanwhile, the secretary of justice upheld the prosecutor’s decision to dismiss the criminal complaint against Bayani.

Later, the CA dismissed the civil case instituted by Bayanai against PECO on the ground of prematurity since one of the elements of malicious prosecution, that of the final termination of the criminal action resulting in acquittal, was absent. Hence, this petition by Bayani.

ISSUE: Was the civil case prematurely filed?

HELD - Petitioner faults respondent court for finding that his complaint in Civil Case No. 23276 was one for malicious prosecution. Petitioner insists that its complaint was based on other causes of action, independent from malicious prosecution. He alleged in particular, that by summarily disconnecting electrical service to petitioner's business establishments, PECO violated Articles 19 ⁶ and 21 ⁷ of the Civil Code.

A review of petitioner's Amended Complaint, ⁸ however, clearly shows that petitioner's allegations deal mainly with the criminal complaints instituted by PECO against petitioner for violating R.A. No. 7832. In addition to damages, petitioner had sought a prohibitory injunction to prohibit private respondent from making "false imputations that plaintiff allegedly continued to commit violations" of R.A. No. 7832." ⁹ What determines the nature of an action are the allegations in the complaint and the character of the relief sought. ¹⁰ Conformably, no reversible error was committed by the Court of Appeals in finding that petitioner's action was one based on malicious prosecution.

There is malicious prosecution when a person directly insinuates or imputes to an innocent person the commission of a crime and the maliciously accused is compelled to defend himself in court. ¹¹ While generally associated with unfounded criminal actions, "the term has been expanded to include unfounded civil suits instituted just to vex and humiliate the defendant despite the absence of a cause of action or probable cause." ¹² The basis for a civil action for damages arising from malicious prosecution is found in Articles 19, 21, 29, ¹³ 35, ¹⁴ of the Civil Code.

The requisites for an action for damages based on malicious prosecution are: (1) the fact of the prosecution and the further fact that the defendant was himself the prosecutor, and that the action was finally terminated with an acquittal; (2) that in bringing the action, the prosecutor acted without probable cause; and (3) the prosecutor was actuated or impelled by legal malice. ¹⁵ Considering the facts in this case, we agree with the respondent appellate court that one of the elements for an action based on malicious prosecution, the element of final termination of the action resulting in an acquittal, was absent at the time petitioner filed Civil Case No. 23276. The records show that petitioner's action for injunction and damages was filed on October 10, 1996, whereas the Secretary of Justice dismissed with finality PECO's criminal complaints against herein petitioner only on March 4, 1998. Hence, Civil Case No. 23276 was prematurely filed.