Humanitext Reader

Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §44.2.5.pr

Criterion of the Same Matter Across Different Actions

Passage 7218 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

This fragment discusses, with concrete examples, that whether one is suing 'concerning the same matter' is determined not by the identity of the specific form of action, but by whether the same subject matter is substantially pursued.

[IDEM libro septuagensimo quarto ad edictum. ] §44.2.5.prDe eadem re agere uidetur et qui non eadem actione agat, qua ab initio agebat, sed etiam si alia experiatur, de eadem tamen re: ut puta si quis mandati acturus, cum ei aduersarius iudicio sistendi causa promisisset, propter eandem rem agat negotiorum gestorum uel condicat, de eadem re agit.
[THE SAME, in the seventy-fourth book on the Edict.] A person is also deemed to sue concerning the same matter even if he does not bring the same action which he brought from the beginning, but brings another, provided it is nevertheless concerning the same matter. For example, if someone who was about to bring an action on mandate, when his opponent had promised him to appear in court, sues on the ground of unauthorized agency or brings a condictio concerning the same matter, he sues concerning the same matter.
recteque ita definietur eum demum 'de ea re' non agere, qui prorsus rem ipsam non persequitur: ceterum cum quis actionem mutat et experitur, dummodo de eadem re experiatur, etsi diuerso genere actionis quam instituit, uidetur 'de ea re' agere.
And it will be correctly defined in this way: that he alone does not sue 'concerning that matter' who does not pursue the thing itself at all; but when someone changes his action and sues, provided he sues concerning the same matter, even if by a different kind of action than the one he initiated, he is deemed to sue 'concerning that matter'.

Notes

  1. §44.2.5.pret qui — The conjunction et is used here in the sense of 'also' (etiam), modifying the entire relative clause qui... which functions as the subject of the main verb uidetur.
  2. §44.2.5.prmandati — The genitive mandati implies the omission of actione (action on mandate). The future active participle acturus agrees with the subject si quis and expresses a hypothetical intention ('about to bring an action').
  3. §44.2.5.prrecteque ita definietur — The verb definietur is the third-person singular, future passive ('it will be defined'). The following accusative with infinitive clause eum demum ... non agere forms the content (or the grammatical subject) of this definition.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §44.2.5.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:44.2.5.pr

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.