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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §41.3.18.pr

Usucapion of Unreported Vacant Property against the Treasury

Passage 6770 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

Although usucapion generally does not run against the treasury, this text states an exception where a purchaser of land from an ownerless estate can acquire it by long-term possession if the estate has not yet been reported to the treasury.

[MODESTINUS libro quinto regularum. ] §41.3.18.prQuamuis aduersus fiscum usucapio non procedat, tamen ex bonis uacantibus, nondum tamen nuntiatis, emptor praedii ex isdem bonis exstiterit, recte diutina possessione capiet: idque constitutum est.
[MODESTINUS, Rules, book 5] Although usucapion does not run against the imperial treasury, nevertheless, if a buyer of land from ownerless property should emerge from that same property before it has been reported, he will rightfully acquire it by long-term possession; and this has been established by decree.

Notes

  1. 41.3.18.prexstiterit, recte diutina possessione capiet — The combination of the future perfect indicative (or perfect subjunctive) exstiterit and the future indicative capiet forms a conditional relationship characteristic of Roman juristic Latin, where the conditional conjunction (such as si) is omitted but understood from the context.
  2. 41.3.18.prnondum tamen nuntiatis — The perfect participle ablative nuntiatis modifies ex bonis uacantibus. It denotes the transitional phase before the ownerless property (bona uacantia) is officially reported (nuntiare) to the treasury (fiscus), during which the treasury's claim has not yet been finalized.
  3. 41.3.18.prconstitutum est — In juristic literature, constitutum est typically signifies that a rule or institution has been established by an imperial decree or rescript (constitutio).

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §41.3.18.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:41.3.18.pr

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