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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §6.1.55.pr

Claim Against a Co-heir Possessing the Entire Land

Passage 1126 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

This text establishes that if a possessor of land dies before the joinder of issue leaving two heirs, and one who possesses the whole land is sued for the entirety, he must be condemned for the whole.

[IULIANUS libro quinquagensimo quinto digestorum. ] §6.1.55.prSi possessor fundi ante iudicium acceptum duobus heredibus relictis decesserit et ab altero ex his, qui totum fundum possidebat, totus petitus fuerit, quin in solidum condemnari debeat, dubitari non oportet.
[JULIANUS in the fifty-fifth book of the Digests.] If the possessor of a tract of land should die before the joinder of issue, leaving two heirs, and the whole tract is claimed from one of them who was in possession of the whole, there ought to be no doubt that he must be condemned for the whole.

Notes

  1. §6.1.55.prante iudicium acceptum — Literally 'before the accepted trial'. This is a noun-participle construction (like 'ab urbe condita') meaning 'before the joinder of issue' (litis contestatio). In Roman law, 'iudicium accipere' refers to the defendant's acceptance of the formulation of the suit.
  2. §6.1.55.prab altero ... petitus fuerit — Passive of the idiom 'petere aliquid ab aliquo' (to claim something from someone). The phrase 'ab altero' does not designate the agent of the passive verb (by whom), but rather the person from whom the thing is claimed (the defendant). The implied subject of 'petitus fuerit' is 'fundus' (land).
  3. §6.1.55.prquin in solidum condemnari debeat — A subjunctive clause introduced by 'quin' following the negated verb of doubting 'non oportet dubitari' (it ought not to be doubted). The phrase 'in solidum' is a legal term meaning 'for the whole' or 'jointly and severally', here indicating liability for the entire property.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §6.1.55.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:6.1.55.pr

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