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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §15.1.32.pr-15.1.32.2

Actions Against Co-Heirs and Equitable Relief

Passage 2291 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

The passage discusses how suing one co-heir regarding a peculium releases all heirs under civil law, but equity demands actions remain available until actual recovery. It also addresses evaluating the current state of the peculium in renewed actions and its status between buyer and seller.

[ULPIANUS libro secundo disputationum. ] §15.1.32.prSi ex duobus uel pluribus heredibus eius, qui manumisso seruo uel libero esse iusso uel alienato uel mortuo intra annum conueniri poterat, unus fuerit conuentus, omnes heredes liberabuntur, quamuis non in maiorem quantitatem eius peculii, quod penes se habet qui conuenitur, condemnetur, idque ita Iulianus scripsit.
[ULPIANUS in the second book of Disputations.] If one of two or more heirs of a person who, because a slave was manumitted, ordered to be free, alienated, or deceased, could have been sued within a year, has been sued, all the heirs will be released, even though the one who is sued is not condemned for a greater amount of the peculium than he has in his possession; and so Julian wrote.
idemque est et si in alterius rem fuerit uersum.
And the same is true if it has been turned to the benefit of another's property.
sed et si plures sint fructuarii uel bonae fidei possessores, unus conuentus ceteros liberat, quamuis non maioris peculii, quam penes se est, condemnari debeat.
But also, if there are multiple usufructuaries or bona fide possessors, one being sued releases the others, although he ought not to be condemned for a greater amount of peculium than is in his possession.
sed licet hoc iure contingat, tamen aequitas dictat iudicium in eos dari, qui occasione iuris liberantur, ut magis eos perceptio quam intentio liberet: nam qui cum seruo contrahit, uniuersum peculium eius quod ubicumque est ueluti patrimonium intuetur.
But although this happens by law, nevertheless equity dictates that an action be given against those who are released by the opportunity of the law, so that actual recovery rather than the mere bringing of the action should release them; for he who contracts with a slave looks upon his entire peculium, wherever it may be, as if it were a patrimony.
§15.1.32.1In hoc autem iudicio licet restauretur praecedens, tamen et augmenti et decessionis rationem haberi oportet, et ideo siue hodie nihil sit in peculio siue accesserit aliquid, praesens status peculii spectandus est.
In this action, however, although the preceding one may be restored, nevertheless account must be taken of both increase and decrease, and therefore, whether today there is nothing in the peculium or something has been added, the present state of the peculium must be regarded.
quare circa uenditorem quoque et emptorem hoc nobis uidetur uerius, quod accessit peculio posse nos ab emptore consequi, nec retrorsus uelut in uno iudicio ad id tempus conuentionem reducere emptoris, quo uenditor conuentus sit.
Wherefore, regarding the seller and the buyer too, this seems more correct to us, that we can recover from the buyer what has been added to the peculium, and we should not, as if in a single trial, trace back the action against the buyer to that time when the seller was sued.
§15.1.32.2Uenditor serui si cum peculio seruum uendidit et tradiderit peculium, ne intra annum quidem de peculio conuenietur: neque enim hoc pretium serui peculium est, ut Neratius scripsit.
If the seller of a slave sold the slave with the peculium and delivered the peculium, he will not be sued even within a year on account of the peculium; for this price of the slave is not the peculium, as Neratius wrote.

Notes

  1. §15.1.32.preius, qui — The genitive pronoun `eius` ('of him') is the antecedent of the following relative pronoun `qui`, referring to the deceased (the principal) who could have been sued within a year after the slave's manumission, alienation, or death. This clause establishes the setting where one of the co-heirs (`heredes`) of this deceased person is sued.
  2. §15.1.32.prut magis eos perceptio quam intentio liberet — Here, `intentio` refers to the 'bringing of the action' or 'claim,' while `perceptio` means the 'actual receipt' or 'recovery' of the debt. Under strict civil law, suing one co-heir would release all other co-heirs, which risks leaving the creditor unsatisfied. Therefore, equity (`aequitas`) dictates that they should only be released upon actual recovery (`perceptio`), and thus an action should be granted against the other heirs.
  3. §15.1.32.1In hoc autem iudicio licet restauretur praecedens — This is a concessive clause introduced by `licet` with the present subjunctive passive `restauretur`. It means that even if, through equity, the effect of the preceding action (against the first heir) is restored or revived in this subsequent trial, the court must still account for any subsequent increase or decrease (`augmenti et decessionis`) and evaluate the peculium based on its current state.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §15.1.32.pr-15.1.32.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:15.1.32.pr-15.1.32.2

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