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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §27.7.8.pr-27.7.8.1

Liability of Tutor's Heirs and Transmission of Actions

Passage 4050 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

This section discusses the liability of the heirs of an illegally appointed tutor who did not manage the property, and the transmission of actions to the heir after the tutor's death, emphasizing the legal effects of litis contestatio.

[PAULUS libro nono responsorum. ] §27.7.8.preredes eius, qui non iure tutor uel curator datus administrationi se non immiscuit, dolum et culpam praestare non debere.
[PAULUS, in the ninth book of Opinions.] The heirs of a person who, not having been legally appointed as tutor or curator, did not intermeddle with the administration, ought not to be liable for fraud or negligence.
§27.7.8.1Paulus respondit tale iudicium in heredem tutoris transferri oportere, quale defunctus suscepit.
Paulus answered that such an action ought to be transferred against the heir of the tutor as the deceased himself undertook.
hoc eo pertinet, ut non excusetur heres, si dicat se instrumenta tutelaria non inuenisse: nam cum ex omnibus bona fide iudiciis propter dolum defuncti heres teneatur, idem puto obseruandum et in tutelae actione.
This means that the heir is not excused if he says that he has not found the tutelary documents; for since in all actions of good faith the heir is held liable for the fraud of the deceased, I think that the same rule should be observed also in the action of guardianship.
sed constitutionibus subuentum est ignorantiae heredum.
But relief has been given to the ignorance of heirs by imperial constitutions.
hoc tamen tunc obseruandum est, cum post mortem tutoris heres conueniatur, non si lite contestata tutor decesserit: nam litis contestatione et poenales actiones transmittuntur ab utraque parte et temporales perpetuantur.
This, however, is to be observed only when the heir is sued after the death of the tutor, and not if the tutor died after joinder of issue (litis contestatio); for by joinder of issue penal actions also are transmitted on both sides, and temporary actions are made perpetual.

Notes

  1. 27.7.8.preredes ... debere — An accusative with infinitive clause (indirect speech) with the main verb (such as *respondit*) omitted, succinctly presenting the rule of the legal opinion. It depends contextually on the preceding attribution to Paulus.
  2. 27.7.8.1subuentum est — The impersonal passive of the dative-governing intransitive verb *subuenire* (to relieve, come to help). Consequently, its object *ignorantiae* (ignorance) is in the dative case.
  3. 27.7.8.1lite contestata — An ablative absolute construction consisting of a noun and a participle in the ablative, expressing the temporal condition "after joinder of issue." In Roman law, *litis contestatio* brings significant legal consequences, such as making temporary or personal penal actions transmissible and perpetual.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §27.7.8.pr-27.7.8.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:27.7.8.pr-27.7.8.1

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