Josef v. Ursua, 963 Phil. 354 (2025), is a 2025 landmark ruling of the Supreme Court of the Philippines which found that property acquired by cohabiting same-sex couples during the course of their relationship are presumed to be jointly owned by the couple despite the country's non-recognition of same-sex unions.
Background The case stems from a long-running property dispute between Jennifer Josef and her former partner, lawyer Evalyn Ursua. Ursua previously served as counsel to Suzette Nicolas, who in the 2006 Subic rape case accused four United States Marines of raping her.
Josef and Ursua purchased a house in Quezon City in 2006, but registered the property only under the name of one partner, in this case Ursua, for banking convenience. In 2007, Ursua acknowledged Josef's interest in the property, but the document reportedly contained ambiguous provisions regarding Josef's share. When the couple decided to end their relationship, the couple initially agreed to split the proceeds evenly.
Ursua subsequently reneged on the deal and denied Josef's interest in the property, leading Josef to file an adverse claim in 2010. In 2014, she sent a demand letter to Ursua for the property to be partitioned and her half of the proceeds sent to her, which led Ursua to seek damages from her former partner.
See also Falcis III v. Civil Registrar-General LGBTQ rights in the Philippines
References