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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §4.7.12.pr

Alienation of a Share to Avoid Common Property Division

Passage 821 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

The passage discusses restrictions under the Lex Licinia and the Edict concerning the forbidden alienation of property for the purpose of avoiding or changing a trial for the division of common property.

[MARCIANUS libro quarto decimo institutionum. ] §4.7.12.prSi quis iudicii communi diuidundo euitandi causa rem alienauerit, ex lege Licinnia ei interdicitur, ne communi diuidundo iudicio experiatur: uerbi gratia ut potentior emptor per licitationem uilius eam accipiat et per hoc iterum ipse recipiat.
[MARCIANUS, Institutes, Book XIV] If anyone alienates a thing for the purpose of avoiding a trial for the division of common property, he is forbidden by the Lex Licinia to bring a trial for the division of common property: for example, so that a more powerful buyer may acquire it cheaper through bidding, and thereby he himself may receive it back.
Sed ipse quidem qui partem alienauerit communi diuidundo iudicio si agere uelit, non audietur: is uero qui emit si experiri uelit, ex illa parte edicti uetatur, qua cauetur, ne qua alienatio iudicii mutandi causa fiat.
But indeed, if he himself who alienated his share wishes to sue in a trial for the division of common property, he will not be heard; whereas if the one who bought it wishes to bring an action, he is forbidden by that part of the Edict in which it is provided that no alienation should be made for the purpose of changing the trial.

Notes

  1. §4.7.12.priudicii communi diuidundo — The word 'iudicii' is a genitive modifying 'euitandi'. 'communi diuidundo' (for dividing common property) acts appositively or as a defining phrase to 'iudicii', forming the complete genitive construction for 'a trial for the division of common property'.
  2. §4.7.12.prrecipiat — While the subject of 'accipiat' in the preceding clause is 'potentior emptor' (the more powerful buyer), the subject of 'recipiat' shifts to 'ipse' (the alienator himself, referred to as 'quis' at the beginning). This indicates a collusive scheme to have an influential buyer acquire the property cheaply and subsequently transfer it back to the original owner.
  3. §4.7.12.prne qua — A contraction of 'ne aliqua'. 'qua' is the feminine nominative singular indefinite pronoun modifying 'alienatio'. It introduces a negative clause of purpose/provision: 'lest any alienation [be made]...'.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §4.7.12.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:4.7.12.pr

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