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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §32.0.5.pr-32.0.5.1

Trusts Charged on Municipalities and Heirs of Heirs

Passage 4825 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

This chunk discusses the performance of a trust by municipal administrators when a legacy is left to a municipality, and the validity of a trust imposed on the heir of an heir or legatee.

[ULPIANUS libro primo fideicommissorum. ] §32.0.5.prSi fuerit municipio legatum relictum, ab his qui rem publicam gerunt fideicommissum dari potest.
[ULPIANUS from the first book on Trusts.] If a legacy has been left to a municipality, a trust can be given by those who administer the public affairs.
§32.0.5.1Si quis non ab herede uel legatario, sed ab heredis uel legatarii herede fideicommissum reliquerit, hoc ualere benignum est.
If anyone has left a trust, not from an heir or legatee, but from the heir of an heir or of a legatee, it is benign that this should be valid.

Notes

  1. §32.0.5.prab his qui rem publicam gerunt — Meaning 'by those who administer the public affairs.' The pronoun 'his', which is the antecedent of the relative clause 'qui...', refers to the magistrates or administrators who manage the affairs of the municipality (municipium). Combined with the passive 'dari potest', it indicates that the performance of the trust must be executed through them.
  2. §32.0.5.1hoc ualere benignum est — The accusative with infinitive clause 'hoc ualere' (that this should be valid) serves as the subject of the impersonal phrase 'benignum est'. In legal interpretation, 'benignum' indicates that it is proper to apply a liberal or benign construction (benigna interpretatio), prioritizing the testator's intention over strict technical rules to uphold the validity of the disposition.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §32.0.5.pr-32.0.5.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:32.0.5.pr-32.0.5.1

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