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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §19.2.41.pr

Custodian's Liability for Damage Caused by a Third Party

Passage 2862 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

It discusses whether a custodian can be held liable for damage caused by a third party, contrasting Julian's negative view with Marcellus's qualified approval, and endorsing the latter.

[Ulpianus libro quinto ad edictum. ] §19.2.41.prSed de damno ab alio dato agi cum eo non posse Iulianus ait: qua enim custodia consequi potuit, ne damnum iniuria ab alio dari possit? sed Marcellus interdum esse posse ait, siue custodiri potuit, ne damnum daretur, siue ipse custos damnum dedit: quae sententia Marcelli probanda est.
[ULPIANUS, from the fifth book on the Edict.] But Julian says that an action cannot be brought against him for damage caused by another; for by what kind of custody could it be achieved that unlawful damage might not be caused by another? But Marcellus says that sometimes it is possible, either if it could have been prevented by custody so that damage would not be caused, or if the custodian himself caused the damage; and this opinion of Marcellus is to be approved.

Notes

  1. 19.2.41.pragi cum eo non posse — An impersonal accusative with infinitive construction using the passive infinitive 'agi' of 'agere', meaning 'that an action cannot be brought against him (the custodian)'.
  2. 19.2.41.prqua enim custodia consequi potuit — 'qua custodia' is an ablative of means/cause. This is a rhetorical question implying negative potential: 'for by what custody could it have been achieved... (indeed, by none)'.
  3. 19.2.41.prsiue custodiri potuit, ne damnum daretur — A combination of the impersonal passive 'potuit' and the passive infinitive 'custodiri', meaning 'whether it could have been guarded against (so that damage would not be caused)'.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §19.2.41.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:19.2.41.pr

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