Case Digest: ATTY. IRENEO L. TORRES AND MRS. NATIVIDAD CELESTINO v. ATTY. JOSE CONCEPCION JAVIER

ATTY. IRENEO L. TORRES AND MRS. NATIVIDAD CELESTINO v. ATTY. JOSE CONCEPCION JAVIER

A.M. No. 5910 (2005)

Inclusion of derogatory statements actuated by his giving vent to ill-feelings stated in the pleading is not covered by the absolute immunity or privileged communication.

Atty. Ireneo L. Torres and Mrs. Natividad Celestino charged Atty. Jose Concepcion Javier for malpractice, gross misconduct in office as an attorney and/or violation of the lawyer’s oath for employing statements and remarks on his pleadings which are false, unsubstantiated, with malicious imputation, abusive, offensive and improper with the character of an attorney as a quasi-judicial officer.

Atty. Javier professes that he was angry while he was preparing his pleadings considering that his wife was included to the burglary exposed in the present case. Also, he invokes that those statements he made are privileged communication, it forming part of a judicial proceeding.

ISSUE:

Whether or not Atty. Javier is administratively liable for the alleged offensive statements he made in his pleadings

HELD:

It is well entrenched in Philippine jurisprudence that for reasons of public policy, utterances made in the course of judicial proceedings, including all kinds of pleadings, petitions and motions, are absolutely privileged so long as they are pertinent and relevant to the subject inquiry, however false or malicious they may be. A matter, however, to which the privilege does not extend must be so palpably wanting in relation to the subject matter of the controversy that no reasonable man can doubt its irrelevancy or impropriety. That matter alleged in a pleading need not be in every case material to the issues presented by the pleadings. It must, however, be legitimately related thereto, or so pertinent to the subject of the controversy that it may become the subject of inquiry in the course of the trial.

Clearly, Atty. Javier’s primordial reason for the offensive remark stated in his pleadings was his emotional reaction in view of the fact that herein Complainant was in a legal dispute with his wife. This excuse cannot be sustained; that the Atty. Javier is representing his wife is not at all an excuse.

In keeping with the dignity of the legal profession, a lawyer’s language must be dignified and choice of language is important in the preparation of pleadings. In the assertion of his client’s rights, a lawyer — even one gifted with superior intellect — is enjoined to rein up his temper.

Thus, the inclusion of the derogatory statements by respondent was actuated by his giving vent to his ill-feelings towards Atty. Torres, a purpose to which the mantle of absolute immunity does not extend.