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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §37.5.13.pr

Failure of Condition and Substitute's Duty to Pay Legacies

Passage 5762 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

It is explained that if the appointed heir fails due to a condition beyond their control, the substitute heir must discharge the legacies, whereas if they voluntarily fail to meet a condition within their power, they are treated as having rejected the inheritance.

[TRYPHONINUS libro secundo disputationum. ] §37.5.13.prItem a substituto legata deberi dicimus, si institutus condicione defectus esset, quae in ipsius potestate non fuit: nam si eam, quae in ipsius potestate fuit, non impleuit, pro eo habendus est, qui noluit adire hereditatem, quando nihil habiturus emolumenti condicioni merito non paruerit.
[TRYPHONINUS libro secundo disputationum.] Likewise, we say that legacies are owed by the substitute heir if the appointed heir has failed because of a condition which was not in his own power; for if he did not fulfill a condition which was in his power, he must be regarded as one who did not wish to enter upon the inheritance, since he did not comply with the condition, as was natural, when he would receive no benefit.

Notes

  1. §37.5.13.prcondicione defectus esset — A combination of the ablative singular condicione ('by a condition') and the pluperfect passive subjunctive 3rd person singular defectus esset (from deficere), meaning 'had failed due to a condition' or 'had been disqualified by the non-fulfillment of a condition'.
  2. §37.5.13.prnihil habiturus emolumenti — emolumenti is a partitive genitive qualifying the neuter pronoun nihil. habiturus is the future active participle of habeo, modifying the appointed heir (the subject), functioning as a participial construction expressing a hypothetical future state or circumstance ('since he would receive no benefit').

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §37.5.13.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:37.5.13.pr

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