SC rules personality disorder can void marriage

The Supreme Court (SC) has ruled that a spouse's inability to love or show affection due to a genuine personality disorder can be grounds for declaring a marriage void.

In its ruling, the SC reinstated an earlier decision by a regional trial court (RTC), which declared a couple's marriage void from the start because of the husband's psychological incapacity.

The case involved a couple who married in 2002 and had been physically together only for five years due to the husband's work abroad, marked by frequent arguments and separations.

In 2016, the husband filed to nullify the marriage based on his psychologist-diagnosed Passive-Aggressive Personality Disorder, which affected his ability to maintain close relationships.

The SC ruled that the husband’s emotional detachment stemmed from a strict upbringing, making it difficult for him to fulfill marital duties like providing companionship and affection, despite being able to provide financial support.

Associate Justice Jhosep Y. Lopez dissented, arguing that the husband failed to prove the disorder existed before their marriage, and a change of heart should not be grounds for voiding the bond.