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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §26.7.25.pr

Restitution Against Tutors After Damages Paid by Curators

Passage 3860 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

The text discusses whether restitution against tutors remains available when a minor has recovered damages from his curators for negligence, and addresses the procedural remedies involving the assignment of actions to the curators.

[ULPIANUS libro tertio decimo ad edictum. ] §26.7.25.prSi minoris actum fuerit cum tutoribus adsistentibus curatoribus et pupillus ob hoc egerit cum curatoribus et ei sint condemnati in id quod sua intererat minoris tutores culpa eorum condemnatos non esse: an restitutio aduersus tutores cesset? et Papinianus responsorum libro secundo ait nihilo minus posse restitui et idcirco curatores, si nondum iudicatum fecerunt, posse prouocantes per exceptionem doli consequi, ut eis mandentur aduersus tutores actiones.
[ULPIANUS in his thirteenth book on the Edict.] If an action on behalf of a minor was brought against his tutors, with the curators assisting, and because of this, the pupil brought an action against the curators, and they were condemned to the extent of the interest of the minor in that the tutors had not been condemned due to their negligence: does restitution against the tutors cease to be available? And Papinian, in the second book of his Opinions, says that restitution is nonetheless possible, and therefore the curators, if they have not yet satisfied the judgment, can, by raising an objection, through an objection of fraud, obtain that the actions against the tutors be assigned to them.
quid tamen si iam fecerunt iudicatum curatores? proderit hoc tutoribus, quoniam nihil minori abest, qui de praeda magis quam de damno sollicitus est, nisi forte mandare actiones paratus sit curatoribus.
What, however, if the curators have already satisfied the judgment? This will benefit the tutors, since nothing is missing for the minor, who is anxious about gain rather than about loss, unless perhaps he is prepared to assign the actions to the curators.

Notes

  1. §26.7.25.prSi minoris actum fuerit — minoris is the genitive of minor, used substantively. Together with the impersonal passive actum fuerit (an action was brought), it means 'if an action on behalf of a minor was brought'.
  2. §26.7.25.prin id quod sua intererat minoris tutores culpa eorum condemnatos non esse — In the relative clause starting with id quod, the subject of the impersonal verb intererat (it was of interest/importance) is the accusative and infinitive clause tutores culpa eorum condemnatos non esse (that the tutors had not been condemned due to their negligence). The subject of interest is expressed by both the ablative feminine singular adjective sua and the genitive minoris placed in apposition. eorum refers to the curators.
  3. §26.7.25.prde praeda magis quam de damno — If the curators have already satisfied the judgment (iam fecerunt iudicatum), the minor's losses are already covered (nihil minori abest). Therefore, seeking further restitution against the tutors would mean that the minor is chasing an unjustified double 'gain' (praeda, literally booty/prey) rather than the recovery of actual 'loss' (damnum).

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §26.7.25.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:26.7.25.pr

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