UNITED STATES v. PIERRE III 932 F2d 377 (1991)

“Space with reasonable and legitimate expectation of privacy”

Border patrol agent inserted his head through the window of the car. By doing so, he was able to smell the burning marijuana. He, then, directed the driver to pull over for an inspection. Held: The reasonable and legitimate expectation of privacy in the interior of the vehicle by its passenger, which is protected under the Fourth Amendment, was violated by the officer’s act. The physical intrusion into a space in which the suspect had a reasonable expectation of privacy allowed the officer to see and smell things he could not see or smell from outside the vehicle. In doing so, the inspection went beyond that portion of the vehicle which may be viewed from the outside by either inquisitive passersby or diligent police officers.

ABS-CBN BROADCASTING CORP. v. COURT OF APPEALS301 SCRA 572 (1999)

Viva granted ABS-CBN the right of first refusal to acquire the exclusive rights to air some of Viva’s films. Viva subsequently sold the rights to broadcast its films to RBS. Before RBS can show the films, ABS-CBN filed an action for specific performance with prayer for a writ of preliminary injunction or TRO on the grounds that the right of first refusal was exercised and that a contract was subsequently perfected between it and Viva. The writ and the TRO were issued. However, the RTC held that no contract was perfected between ABS-CBN and Viva, and, as such, it granted actual, moral, and exemplary damages and attorney’s fees to RBS. Held: There is no perfected contract between ABS-CBN and Viva. Despite such, the award of damages in favor of RBS must also be reversed. RBS’s claim for damages did not arise from contract, quasi-contract, delict or quasi-delict but from the fact that ABS-CBN filed the complaint despite, allegedly, its knowledge of its lack of cause of action. Because the claim for actual, compensatory, moral and exemplary damages did not arise from contract, quasi-contract, delict or quasi-delict, the claims may only be based on Art.s 19, 20 and 21 of the Civil Code. Common to Arts. 19, 20 and 21 is the essential element of malice or bad faith. However, there was no proof that ABS-CBN was inspired by malice or bad faith in instituting the action. It was honestly convinced of the merits of its cause. The adverse result of an action does not per se make the action wrongful and subject the actor to damages, for the law could not have meant to impose a penalty on the right to litigate. If damages result from a person’s exercise of a right, it is damnum absque injuria.