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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §13.1.11.pr

Claims of a Legatee for a Stolen Bequest

Passage 2059 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

This section explains that a legatee cannot bring a condictio (personal action) for a stolen item, but can recover the bequeathed thing from the thief by bringing a uindicatio (real action).

[PAULUS libro trigensimo nono ad edictum. ] §13.1.11.prSed nec legatarius condicere potest: ei enim competit condictio, cui res subrepta est, uel heredi eius: sed uindicare rem legatam ab eo potest.
[PAULUS, in his thirty-ninth book on the Edict.] But neither can a legatee bring a condictio; for the condictio belongs to him from whom the thing was stolen, or to his heir; but the legatee can claim the bequeathed thing from him by uindicatio.

Notes

  1. §13.1.11.prei enim competit condictio, cui — The verb competit (to belong to, be available to) governs the dative (here the antecedent ei), indicating that the subject condictio (right of recovery) belongs to that person. The relative pronoun cui is a dative of disadvantage or separation used with subrepta est (was stolen).
  2. §13.1.11.prab eo — The demonstrative pronoun eo (ablative after the preposition ab) refers in context to the 'thief' (fur) in possession of the stolen thing. Although the legatee cannot bring a condictio (personal action), they can bring a uindicatio (real action) against the thief (eo) to recover the item.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §13.1.11.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:13.1.11.pr

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