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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §18.4.5.pr

Warranty Against Defenses and Seller Liability in Claim Sale

Passage 2703 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

Paulus discusses the seller's liability in the sale of a claim, stating that the claim must be free of defenses unless agreed otherwise, and defines the limits of liability for specific and uncertain sums based on the buyer's interest.

[PAULUS libro trigensimo tertio ad edictum. ] §18.4.5.pret quidem sine exceptione quoque, nisi in contrarium actum sit.
[PAULUS, on the Edict, book 33.] And indeed, also without defense, unless a contrary agreement has been made.
sed si certae summae debitor dictus sit, in eam summam tenetur uenditor: si incertae et nihil debeat, quanti intersit emptoris.
But if the debtor was said to be of a certain sum, the seller is bound for that sum; if of an uncertain sum, and he owes nothing, he is bound for the amount of the buyer's interest.

Notes

  1. §18.4.5.prsine exceptione quoque — A continuation of the previous section's 'debitorem esse praestare' (guaranteeing that there is a debtor). It specifies that the seller must also (quoque) guarantee that the debtor has no defense (exceptio) to refuse payment, meaning the claim must be legally enforceable.
  2. §18.4.5.prquanti intersit emptoris — The genitive of value 'quanti' is used with the subjunctive 'intersit' (from the impersonal verb 'interest') and the genitive of person 'emptoris'. The main verb of liability (such as 'tenetur' or 'praestare debet') is understood, meaning the seller is liable to the extent of the buyer's interest (damages for non-performance).

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §18.4.5.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:18.4.5.pr

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