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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §4.4.30.pr

Renunciation of Restitution by Claiming a Legacy

Passage 732 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

This section explains that if an emancipated son, after initiating a claim for restitution, demands a legacy under the will after reaching twenty-five years of age, he is deemed to have renounced the lawsuit and rejected the praetor's benefit.

[PAPINIANUS libro tertio quaestionum. ] §4.4.30.prSi filius emancipatus, contra tabulas non accepta possessione, post inchoatam restitutionis quaestionem, legatum ex testamento patris maior uiginti quinque annis petisset, liti renuntiare uidetur, cum et si bonorum possessionis tempus largiretur, electo iudicio defuncti repudiatum beneficium praetoris existimaretur.
[PAPINIANUS in the third book of Questions.] If an emancipated son, not having accepted possession contrary to the will, after the question of restitution had been commenced, should have claimed a legacy under the will of his father when he was over twenty-five years of age, he is deemed to have renounced the lawsuit; since, even if the time for possession of the property were still allowed, by having chosen to abide by the decision of the deceased, he would be considered to have rejected the benefit of the praetor.

Notes

  1. §4.4.30.prmaior uiginti quinque annis — 'maior' is the comparative nominative masculine singular of 'magnus', agreeing with the subject 'filius'. 'annis' is the ablative of comparison. Since restitution in integrum is a privilege granted to minors under twenty-five, claiming a legacy after reaching this age (majority) constitutes a waiver of the restitution proceedings commenced during his minority.
  2. §4.4.30.prelecto iudicio defuncti — An ablative absolute consisting of the perfect participle 'electo' and the noun 'iudicio'. Here, 'iudicium' means the 'disposition, decision, or will' of the deceased. Choosing this disposition (by claiming the legacy) implies accepting the validity of the will.
  3. §4.4.30.prrepudiatum beneficium praetoris — An accusative with infinitive clause with the ellipsis of 'esse' ('repudiatum esse'), functioning as the complement of the passive verb 'existimaretur'. 'beneficium praetoris' (the benefit of the praetor) refers to the legal remedies granted by the praetor, such as the 'bonorum possessio contra tabulas' or 'restitutio in integrum'.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §4.4.30.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:4.4.30.pr

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