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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §41.4.6.pr-41.4.6.2

Interruption by Precarium and Usucapion by the Heir

Passage 6808 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

This text discusses the prevention of usucapion when holding on sufferance, the possibility of usucaption when some purchased slaves belong to another depending on whether they can be identified, and the completion of usucapion after the purchaser's death even if the heir has not yet taken physical possession.

[POMPONIUS libro trigensimo secundo ad Sabinum. ] §41.4.6.prQui, cum pro herede uel pro emptore usucaperet, precario rogauit, usucapere non potest: quid porro inter eas res interest, cum utrubique desinat ex prima causa possidere, qui precario uult habere?
[POMPONIUS, On Sabinus, book 32] He who, while he was usucapting either as heir or as purchaser, requested the property on sufferance, cannot usucapt; furthermore, what difference is there between these cases, since in either case he who wishes to hold on sufferance ceases to possess on the basis of his original title?
§41.4.6.1Si ex decem seruis, quos emerim, aliquos putem alienos et qui sint sciam, reliquos usucapiam: quod si ignorem, qui sint alieni, neminem usucapere possum.
If, out of ten slaves whom I bought, I should think some belong to another, and I know which ones they are, I would usucapt the remainder; but if I do not know which ones belong to another, I can usucapt none of them.
§41.4.6.2Post mortem eius, qui hominem emerit, expleto tempore, quod defuisset ad usucapionem, quamuis eum hominem heres possidere non coepisset, fiet tamen eius: sed ita hoc, si nemo eum possedisset.
After the death of him who bought a slave, when the time that was lacking for usucapion has expired, even though the heir has not begun to possess that slave, he nevertheless becomes his owner; but this is so only if no one else has possessed him.

Notes

  1. §41.4.6.prprecario rogauit — The word 'precario' is an ablative used adverbially, meaning 'on sufferance' or 'by request'. Since this request changes the nature of the possession from possessio ad usucapionem to a mere holding on sufferance, the original title (causa) of 'as heir' or 'as purchaser' is lost, making usucapion impossible.
  2. §41.4.6.2fiet tamen eius — The genitive 'eius' refers to the 'heir' (heres) mentioned immediately before. This indicates that the usucapion initiated by the deceased purchaser is completed in favor of the heir once the necessary time has run, even if the heir has not actually taken physical possession (non coepisset) of the property.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §41.4.6.pr-41.4.6.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:41.4.6.pr-41.4.6.2

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