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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §44.2.22.pr

Actions Against Co-Heirs and the Plea of Res Judicata

Passage 7235 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

This text explains that suing one of multiple heirs does not bar actions against the others, and that an action concerning the deceased's fraud is distinct from one concerning the heir's own fraud, meaning the exception of res iudicata does not apply in either case.

[PAULUS libro trigensimo primo ad edictum. ] §44.2.22.prSi cum uno herede depositi actum sit, tamen et cum ceteris heredibus recte agetur nec exceptio rei iudicatae eis proderit: nam etsi eadem quaestio in omnibus iudiciis uertitur, tamen personarum mutatio, cum quibus singulis suo nomine agitur, aliam atque aliam rem facit.
[PAULUS, on the Edict, book thirty-one.] If an action of deposit has been brought against one heir, an action will nevertheless rightfully be brought against the other heirs as well, and the exception of res iudicata will not benefit them; for even if the same question is involved in all the trials, nevertheless the change of persons, against each of whom an action is brought in their own name, makes it a different matter in each case.
et si actum sit cum herede de dolo defuncti, deinde de dolo heredis ageretur, exceptio rei iudicatae non nocebit, quia de alia re agitur.
And if an action has been brought against an heir concerning the fraud of the deceased, and afterward an action should be brought concerning the fraud of the heir, the exception of res iudicata will not stand in the way, because the action is brought concerning a different matter.

Notes

  1. 44.2.22.prdepositi actum sit — depositi is a genitive of description showing the type of action (the action of deposit, actio depositi), combined with the impersonally used passive verb actum sit (from agere, 'to bring an action'), meaning 'if an action of deposit has been brought'.
  2. 44.2.22.prcum quibus singulis suo nomine agitur — quibus is a relative pronoun referring to personarum as its antecedent, agreeing in gender, number, and case with the adjective singulis. suo nomine means 'in their own name (individually)', and this relative clause modifies personarum, describing the change of persons who are sued as individuals.
  3. 44.2.22.prde dolo defuncti ... de dolo heredis — This contrasts two different causes of action: one concerning the fraud of the deceased (defuncti) and another concerning the fraud of the heir (heredis). Since the underlying causes are different, they are not considered the 'same matter' (eadem res), thus preventing the exception of res iudicata.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §44.2.22.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:44.2.22.pr

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