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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §2.14.35.pr

Replication of Fraud against Pact after Concealment of Inheritance

Passage 401 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

In a case where hidden gold coins were discovered after the division of a common inheritance, Modestinus replies that even if a general agreement of non-suit is pleaded, a replication of fraud can be successfully raised by the co-heirs who settled in ignorance of the fraud.

[IDEM libro secundo responsorum. ] §2.14.35.prTres fratres Titius et Maeuius et Seia communem hereditatem inter se diuiserunt instrumentis interpositis, quibus diuisisse maternam hereditatem dixerunt nihilque sibi commune remansisse cauerunt.
[THE SAME, Responsas, book 2] Three siblings, Titius, Maeuius, and Seia, divided a common inheritance among themselves by drawing up written instruments, in which they stated that they had divided their mother's inheritance and provided that nothing remained in common between them.
sed postea duo de fratribus, id est Maeuius et Seia, qui absentes erant tempore mortis matris suae, cognouerunt pecuniam auream a fratre suo esse subtractam, cuius nulla mentio instrumento diuisionis continebatur.
But later, two of the siblings, namely Maeuius and Seia, who were absent at the time of their mother's death, learned that gold coins had been secretly taken by their brother, of which no mention was contained in the instrument of division.
quaero an post pactum diuisionis de subrepta pecunia fratribus aduersus fratrem competit actio.
I ask whether, after the agreement of division, an action is available to the siblings against their brother regarding the stolen money.
Modestinus respondit, si agentibus ob portionem eius, quod subreptum a Titio dicitur, generalis pacti conuenti exceptio his, qui fraudem a Titio commissam ignorantes transegerunt, obiciatur, de dolo utiliter replicari posse.
Modestinus replied that if, against those who bring an action for their share of what is said to have been stolen by Titius, an objection of a general agreement is raised against them who settled in ignorance of the fraud committed by Titius, a replication of fraud can be successfully pleaded.

Notes

  1. §2.14.35.pragentibus ... his, qui ... transegerunt — Both are in the dative plural and serve as the indirect object of the verb obiciatur in the conditional clause. The present participle agentibus used substantively and the demonstrative pronoun his are in apposition, referring to the same parties (Maeuius and Seia). The latter, his, is modified by the relative clause qui... transegerunt to explain the circumstances under which they made the settlement.
  2. §2.14.35.prde dolo utiliter replicari posse — An accusative and infinitive construction introduced by Modestinus respondit. The infinitive replicari is passive and used impersonally, meaning 'that a replication of fraud (replicatio de dolo) can be successfully pleaded.'
  3. §2.14.35.preius, quod subreptum a Titio dicitur — The pronoun eius is a neuter genitive singular demonstrative modifying portionem (under ob portionem, meaning 'for the share of...'). The relative pronoun quod takes eius as its antecedent, and the entire phrase forms a noun clause meaning 'of what is said to have been stolen by Titius.'

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §2.14.35.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:2.14.35.pr

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