Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §18.1.74.pr

Transfer of Possession by Delivery of Keys and Usucaption

Passage 2662 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

This section explains the conditions under which the delivery of keys transfers the possession and ownership of goods stored in a warehouse, emphasizing the location of the delivery and the initiation of usucaption if the seller is not the owner.

[IDEM libro primo definitionum. ] §18.1.74.prClauibus traditis ita mercium in horreis conditarum possessio tradita uidetur, si claues apud horrea traditae sint: quo facto confestim emptor dominium et possessionem adipiscitur, etsi non aperuerit horrea: quod si uenditoris merces non fuerunt, usucapio confestim inchoabitur.

[THE SAME, in the first book of Definitions.] When the keys are delivered, the possession of merchandise stored in warehouses is deemed to be delivered only if the keys have been delivered at the warehouses; when this is done, the buyer immediately acquires ownership and possession, even if he has not opened the warehouses. But if the merchandise did not belong to the seller, usucaption will immediately begin.

Notes

§18.1.74.prita ... si — The correlative structure of the adverb `ita` and the conjunction `si` expresses a restrictive condition ("only if"). Here, it indicates that the transfer of possession of the goods via the delivery of the keys is deemed valid only when the keys are delivered near the warehouses.
§18.1.74.prquo facto — An ablative absolute construction with a relative connection (`quo`). The relative pronoun `quo` refers back to the entire preceding action (the delivery of the keys at the warehouses), meaning "once this is done".

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §18.1.74.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:18.1.74.pr

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