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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §12.6.19.pr-12.6.19.4

Recovery by Non-Debtors and on Alternative Obligations

Passage 1994 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

Pomponius discusses the survival of a natural obligation after a punitive release, the right of recovery when a non-debtor pays, the action for recovery of mixed money by value rather than specific identity, erroneous payment of an alternative subject-matter, and the equal recovery of excess payments by co-debtors.

[POMPONIUS libro uicensimo secundo ad Sabinum. ] §12.6.19.prSi poenae causa eius cui debetur debitor liberatus est, naturalis obligatio manet et ideo solutum repeti non potest.
[POMPONIUS, On Sabinus, Book 22.] If a debtor has been released by way of penalty on the person to whom the debt is owed, a natural obligation remains, and therefore what has been paid cannot be recovered.
§12.6.19.1Quamuis debitum sibi quis recipiat, tamen si is qui dat non debitum dat, repetitio competit, ueluti si is qui heredem se uel bonorum possessorem falso existimans creditori hereditario soluerit: hic enim neque uerus heres liberatus erit et is quod dedit repetere poterit: quamuis enim debitum sibi quis recipiat, tamen si is qui dat non debitum dat, repetitio competit.
Although someone may receive a debt due to himself, nevertheless, if the person who gives it gives what is not due from him, an action for recovery is available; as, for example, if someone who falsely believes himself to be the heir or the possessor of the goods pays a creditor of the estate: for in this case neither will the true heir be released, and the payer will be able to recover what he gave: for although someone may receive a debt due to himself, nevertheless, if the person who gives it gives what is not due from him, an action for recovery is available.
§12.6.19.2Si falso existimans debere nummos soluero, qui pro parte alieni, pro parte mei fuerunt, eius summae partem dimidiam, non corporum condicam.
If, falsely believing that I owe them, I pay coins which belonged partly to another and partly to myself, I shall bring an action (condictio) for half of the sum, not for the physical coins themselves.
§12.6.19.3Si putem me Stichum aut Pamphilum debere, cum Stichum debeam, et Pamphilum soluam, repetam quasi indebitum solutum: nec enim pro eo quod debeo uideor id soluisse.
If I should think that I owe either Stichus or Pamphilus, whereas I actually owe Stichus, and I pay Pamphilus, I shall recover it as if what was not due had been paid; for I am not deemed to have paid this in discharge of what I actually owe.
§12.6.19.4Si duo rei, qui decem debebant, uiginti pariter soluerint, Celsus ait singulos quina repetituros, quia, cum decem deberent, uiginti soluissent, et quod amplius ambo soluerint, ambo repetere possunt.
If two co-debtors, who owed ten, have paid twenty equally, Celsus says that each will recover five, because, whereas they owed ten, they paid twenty, and what both have paid in excess, both can recover.

Notes

  1. 12.6.19.prpoenae causa eius cui debetur — The genitive 'poenae' is linked with 'causa' meaning 'by reason of' or 'for the sake of'. 'eius cui debetur' (the person to whom the debt is owed, i.e., the creditor) depends on 'poenae', meaning 'as a penalty on the creditor'. If a debtor is legally released by way of a public sanction against the creditor, the civil obligation ceases but a natural obligation remains, preventing the recovery of what was subsequently paid.
  2. 12.6.19.1quamuis debitum sibi quis recipiat, tamen si is qui dat non debitum dat, repetitio competit — This contains two subordinate clauses ('quamuis...' and 'si...') dependent on the main clause ('repetitio competit'). Even if the creditor receives what is indeed owed to him (justified from the creditor's perspective), if the payer pays what is not owed by him (undue payment from the payer's perspective), the right of recovery is granted. This emphasizes the status of the payer. The exact same sentence is repeated at both the beginning and the end of this section.
  3. 12.6.19.2non corporum condicam — Note the contrast between 'eius summae partem dimidiam' (half of the sum) and 'non corporum' (not of the physical coins themselves). Since money (nummi) is mixed, one does not bring a proprietary action (rei vindicatio) for the specific physical items (corpora), but rather an action for unjust enrichment (condictio) for the monetary value. 'condicam' is either future indicative or present subjunctive expressing potential/intention.
  4. 12.6.19.4pariter — 'pariter' means 'equally' or 'simultaneously'. Here it refers to a situation where two co-debtors, owing ten in total, both paid ten (making twenty in total). Regarding the excess of ten, Celsus decides that each of them can recover five (using the distributive numeral 'quina').

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §12.6.19.pr-12.6.19.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:12.6.19.pr-12.6.19.4

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