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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §5.3.52.pr

Restitution of Dishonest Gains by an Inheritance Possessor

Passage 1050 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

This section rules that if a possessor has acquired dishonest gains from an inheritance, they must be restored, preventing a fair interpretation of the law from yielding a profit to the possessor from improper means.

[HERMOGENIANUS libro secundo iuris epitomarum. ] §5.3.52.prSi possessor ex hereditate inhonestos habuerit quaestus, hos etiam restituere cogetur, ne honesta interpretatio non honesto quaestui lucrum possessori faciat.
[HERMOGENIANUS in his second book of Epitomes of Law.] If the possessor has made dishonest gains from the inheritance, he shall also be compelled to restore these, lest a proper interpretation should produce a profit for the possessor from an improper gain.

Notes

  1. §5.3.52.prne honesta interpretatio non honesto quaestui lucrum possessori faciat — Features a rhetorical contrast between honestus and non honestus. The verb faciat governs two datives: possessori (to/for the possessor, as the beneficiary) and non honesto quaestui (for the dishonest gain, as the object or source of profit). The clause means that a proper legal interpretation must not lead to a result where a dishonest gain remains as a profit in the hands of the possessor.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §5.3.52.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:5.3.52.pr

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