Humanitext Reader

Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §33.3.4.pr

Common Party Wall in Separate Legacies of Adjacent Houses

Passage 4999 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

In the case of separate bequests of two adjacent buildings, it is argued that the separating middle wall is considered common property, meaning neither party can bring a negative action against the other, and an arbitrator for dividing common property should be appointed.

[IAUOLENUS libro nono epistularum. ] §33.3.4.prSi is qui duas aedes habebat unas mihi, alteras tibi legauit et medius paries, qui utrasque aedes distinguat, interuenit, eo iure eum communem nobis esse existimo, quo, si paries tantum duobus nobis communiter esset legatus, ideoque neque me neque te agere posse ius non esse alteri ita immissas habere: nam quod communiter socius habet, et in iure eum habere constitit: itaque de ea re arbiter communi diuidundo sumendus est.
[JAVOLENUS, in the ninth book of Letters.] If a person who owned two buildings bequeathed one to me and the other to you, and a middle wall which separates both buildings stands between them, I think that the wall is common to us by the same right as if only the wall had been bequeathed to both of us in common; and therefore, neither I nor you can bring an action to the effect that the other has no right to have things thus inserted; for what a co-owner holds in common, it is established that he also holds in law. Therefore, an arbitrator for dividing common property must be appointed for this matter.

Notes

  1. §33.3.4.preo iure... quo — The correlative construction "eo iure... quo..." means "by the same right as...". It indicates that the legal nature (ius) of the co-ownership in the actual case (the wall separating the two individually bequeathed buildings) is identical to the hypothetical case where only the wall was bequeathed to both in common (si paries... esset legatus).
  2. §33.3.4.pragere posse ius non esse alteri ita immissas habere — The accusative with infinitive clause "ius non esse alteri... habere" ("that the other has no right to hold...") serves as the object of "agere" ("to bring an action"). This represents the content of a negative action (actio negatoria). "immissas" is a feminine accusative plural participle implying a noun like "trabes" (beams inserted into the wall) or similar structures.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §33.3.4.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:33.3.4.pr

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