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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §13.6.19.pr

Borrower's Exemption from Liability for Third-Party Wrongs

Passage 2134 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

Julian argues that damage unlawfully caused by a third party does not fall upon those who hire things for safekeeping or borrow them for use, as no amount of care can prevent another's unlawful act.

[IULIANUS libro primo digestorum. ] §13.6.19.prAd eos, qui seruandum aliquid conducunt aut utendum accipiunt, damnum iniuria ab alio datum non pertinere procul dubio est: qua enim cura aut diligentia consequi possumus, ne aliquis damnum nobis iniuria det?
[JULIANUS in the first book of the Digests.] There is no doubt that damage unlawfully caused by another does not concern those who hire something to be kept or receive it to be used; for by what care or diligence can we succeed in preventing someone from unlawfully causing damage to us?

Notes

  1. 13.6.19.prAd eos... non pertinere procul dubio est — The accusative with infinitive clause `damnum... non pertinere` functions as the subject of the impersonal expression `procul dubio est` (there is no doubt). The phrase `pertinere ad aliquem` is used here in the sense of the risk or burden of damage "belonging to" or "being the responsibility of" someone.
  2. 13.6.19.prseruandum aliquid conducunt aut utendum accipiunt — The gerundives `seruandum` and `utendum` express purpose, modifying the noun/pronoun `aliquid` (which is the direct object of `conducunt` and understood as the object of `accipiunt`). It means "to hire something to be kept or to receive it to be used."
  3. 13.6.19.prconsequi possumus, ne aliquis damnum nobis iniuria det — The verb `consequi` (to achieve, obtain, succeed in) takes an object clause introduced by `ne` with the subjunctive `det` (present subjunctive of `dare`), meaning "to succeed in securing that someone does not unlawfully cause us damage."

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §13.6.19.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:13.6.19.pr

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