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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §35.2.78.pr

Sole Succession by Lapsed Share and the Falcidian Law

Passage 5523 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

This text discusses how to apply the Falcidian law when one co-heir fails and the other becomes the sole heir, specifically regarding whether the portions are merged or calculated separately, and how this affects the relief of legatees.

[IDEM libro tertio de legatis ad edictum praetoris urbani. ] §35.2.78.prQuod si alterutro eorum deficiente alter heres solus exstiterit, utrum perinde ratio legis Falcidiae habenda sit, ac si statim ab initio is solus heres institutus esset, an singularum portionum separatim causae spectandae sunt? et placet, si eius pars legatis exhausta sit, qui heres exstiterit, adiuuari legatarios per deficientem partem, quia ea non est legatis onerata, quia et legata quae apud heredem remanent efficiunt, ut ceteris legatariis aut nihil aut minus detrahatur: si uero defecta pars fuerit exhausta, perinde in ea ponendam rationem legis Falcidiae, atque si ad eum ipsum pertineret, a quo defecta fieret.
[THE SAME, From the third book on legacies with reference to the edict of the urban praetor.] But if, upon one or the other of them failing, the other stands out as the sole heir, is the calculation of the Falcidian law to be made in the same way as if he had been appointed sole heir immediately from the beginning, or must the cases of the individual portions be considered separately? And the opinion is approved that, if the portion of him who remains as heir is exhausted by legacies, the legatees are relieved by the failing portion, because that portion has not been burdened with legacies; for the legacies also which remain with the heir bring it about that either nothing or less is deducted from the other legatees. But if the failed portion has been exhausted, the calculation of the Falcidian law must be applied to it in the same way as if it belonged to that very person from whom it became failed.

Notes

  1. 35.2.78.pralterutro eorum deficiente — An ablative absolute meaning "upon one or the other of them failing," indicating a situation where one of the co-heirs fails to take their share (e.g., due to death or refusal), causing the other to become the sole heir by the right of accrual (ius adcrescendi).
  2. 35.2.78.prutrum ... an — A double question structure meaning "whether... or...", where the first alternative is governed by "habenda sit" (subjunctive) and the second by "spectandae sunt" (indicative), showing an asymmetry in mood.
  3. 35.2.78.prplacet — An impersonal verb meaning "it is approved/held." It governs two parallel accusative with infinitive (AcI) clauses: first, "adiuuari legatarios" (with the conditional clause "si eius pars..."), and second, "ponendam [esse] rationem" (with the conditional clause "si uero defecta...").
  4. 35.2.78.prlegata quae apud heredem remanent — Legacies "which remain with the heir," referring to legacies that failed (e.g., due to the death of the legatee or refusal) and thus accrued to the heir. In the calculation of the Falcidian law, this reduces the total amount of effective legacies, thereby alleviating or eliminating the deduction for the remaining legatees.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §35.2.78.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:35.2.78.pr

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