Humanitext Reader

Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §5.1.56.pr

Ratification of Joinder of Issue by an Unauthorized Agent

Passage 937 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

It explains that even if a litigation is initiated by someone without authorization, if the principal subsequently ratifies it, the initiation of the lawsuit is deemed retroactively valid.

[ULPIANUS libro tricensimo ad Sabinum. ] §5.1.56.prLicet uerum procuratorem in iudicio rem deducere uerissimum est, tamen et si quis, cum procurator non esset, litem sit contestatus, deinde ratum dominus habuerit, uidetur retro res in iudicium recte deducta.
[ULPIAN, on Sabinus, Book XXX.] Although it is most true that a true procurator brings a matter into court, nevertheless, even if someone has contested a suit when he was not a procurator, and the principal has subsequently ratified it, the matter is deemed retroactively to have been rightly brought into court.

Notes

  1. §5.1.56.prlicet ... uerissimum est — Although licet is originally an impersonal verb ("it is allowed") taking the subjunctive, here it functions as a concessive conjunction ("although") taking the indicative uerissimum est. The infinitive phrase uerum procuratorem ... deducere serves as the subject of uerissimum est.
  2. §5.1.56.prratum habuerit — ratum habere is a technical legal term in Roman law meaning "to ratify" or "to approve." habuerit is the perfect subjunctive (or future perfect indicative) introduced by et si.
  3. §5.1.56.pruidetur ... deducta — This is a nominative with infinitive (nominativus cum infinitivo) construction with esse omitted, standing for uidetur retro res recte deducta [esse]. The subject is res, meaning "the matter is deemed (literally, seems) to have been retroactively and rightly brought."

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §5.1.56.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:5.1.56.pr

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