Piercing the veil of corporate fiction refers to the legal concept of disregarding the separate legal personality of a corporation and holding its shareholders or directors personally liable for the actions or debts of the company. This concept is often used when the company has been used to commit fraud or wrongdoing, or when the company is considered an "alter ego" of its shareholders or directors, meaning that it is being used as a mere shell or facade to carry out their personal business rather than functioning as a legitimate separate entity.
The concept of piercing the corporate veil has its roots in English common law and has been adopted by many jurisdictions around the world. It is based on the idea that a corporation is a legal fiction, created by the state for the purposes of conducting business and limiting liability. However, this limited liability protection can be abused, and courts may decide to pierce the veil and hold individuals personally liable in order to provide justice and deter wrongdoing.
One of the main reasons for piercing the corporate veil is to hold shareholders or directors personally responsible for the actions of the company. This may be necessary when the company has been used to commit fraud or other illegal activities, and the individuals behind the company cannot be held accountable through traditional legal means. For example, if a company is used to defraud investors or consumers, the individuals behind the company may be held personally responsible for their actions, even if they were acting on behalf of the company.
Another reason for piercing the corporate veil is when the company is being used as an alter ego for the personal business of its shareholders or directors. This may occur when the company is not being operated as a separate and distinct entity, but rather is being used as a vehicle for the personal business interests of its owners. In these cases, the court may decide to disregard the separate legal personality of the company and hold the individuals behind it personally responsible for its actions.
In order to pierce the corporate veil, a court must typically find that the company was used to commit fraud or wrongdoing, or that it was being used as an alter ego for the personal business of its shareholders or directors. This can be a difficult burden to meet, as courts are generally hesitant to disregard the limited liability protection afforded to corporations. However, in cases where the evidence is strong and the wrongdoing is serious, a court may decide to pierce the veil in order to provide justice and deter future wrongdoing.
In conclusion, piercing the veil of corporate fiction is a legal concept that allows courts to hold individuals personally responsible for the actions or debts of a corporation. This concept is used when the company has been used to commit fraud or wrongdoing, or when it is being used as an alter ego for the personal business of its shareholders or directors. While it can be a difficult burden to meet, piercing the corporate veil is an important tool for ensuring accountability and deterring wrongdoing in the business world.
Piercing the corporate veil
There is no evidence in this case that Locsin acted in bad faith or with malice in carrying out the retrenchment and eventual closure of the company Garcia vs. The doctrine applies only when such corporate fiction is used to defeat public convenience, justify wrong, protect fraud, or defend crime, or when it is made as a shield to confuse the legitimate issues, or where a corporation is the mere alter ego or business conduit of a person, or where the corporation is so organized and controlled and its affairs are so conducted as to make it merely an instrumentality, agency, conduit or adjunct of another corporation. First if an offender attempts to shelter behind a corporate façade, or veil to hide his crime and his benefits from it. Retrieved 9 September 2017. Philippine Transmarine Carriers, Inc. And of course, sometimes the corporate form will be respected where doing so is necessary to reach a result that is consistent with a particular state or federal statutory scheme. NLRC, have all established, save for certain exceptions, the primacy of Section 31 of the Corporation Code in the matter of assigning such liability for a corporation's debts, including judgment obligations in labor cases.
Piercing
Retrieved 9 September 2017. Samahang Manggagawa ng UST, G. We show that the three goals we have identified are a superior predictor of actual veil-piercing decisions than the largely incoherent doctrines espoused by the courts. NLRC, we said: To reiterate, a corporation is a juridical entity with legal personality separate and distinct from those acting for and in its behalf and, in general, from the people comprising it. Thus, as reiterated in Lowe, Inc. What type of law covers piercing the corporate veil? As such, he should be held solidarity liable with the Corporation. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
Revised Corporation typemoon.org
Basic is the rule in corporation law that a corporation is a juridical entity which is vested with a legal personality separate and distinct from those acting for and in its behalf and, in general, from the people comprising it. Significantly, we find no piercing cases in which a court pierces the corporate veil solely because a corporation is undercapitalized. Lastly, and contrary to the finding of the LA, it pointed out that per the Corporation's latest General Information Sheet GIS , Kho was not the Corporation's President at the time of the closure, but a certain "Domingo M. There must be a showing that a fraudulent intent or illegal purpose is behind the exercise of such control to warrant the piercing of the corporate veil. Samahang Manggagawa ng UST, id.
PIERCING THE VEIL OF CORPORATE typemoon.org
Retrieved 9 September 2017. In the present case, it may be true that Lubas is a single proprietorship and not a corporation. Piercing the Veil of Corporate Fiction A doctrine that disregards the separate personality of a corporation if this separate personality is used as an alter ego of another entity and was used to justify wrong, protect fraud, perpetrate deception, or defeat public convenience. Retrieved 9 September 2017. We test our theory systematically by applying machine learning and automated text analysis methods to classify 9,380 federal and state cases mentioning veil-piercing or disregarding the corporate form. Effectively, the petitioner cannot be deemed to have changed employers as Royale and Sceptre are one and the same. For example, as explained in detail in the Article, sometimes the corporate form will be ignored in order to accomplish the specific legislative goal of a government benefit program that distinguishes between owners and employees.
Atty. Manuel J. Laserna Jr.: Piercing the veil of corporate fiction.
Most significantly in our view, we find that the application of topic modeling demonstrates that the distribution of ideas in the text of these opinions tracks our theories more or less precisely. The rulings of this Court in A. As ruled in Prince Transport, Inc. NLRC, the Court did not hold a director, an officer, and other corporations personally liable for corporate obligations of the employer because the second requisite was lacking. This is because when the court or tribunal finds that circumstances exist warranting the piercing of the corporate veil, the corporate representatives are treated as the corporation itself and should be held liable for corporate acts.