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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §6.1.71.pr

Waiver of Oath and Actual Value Damages in Malice

Passage 1142 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

If the possessor acted with malicious intent, but the plaintiff does not wish to take the oath and instead prefers the opponent to be condemned for the actual value of the property, the plaintiff's preference must be respected.

[PAULUS libro tertio decimo ad Sabinum. ] §6.1.71.prQuod si possessor quidem dolo fecit, actor uero iurare non uult, sed quanti res sit aduersarium condemnari maluit, mos ei gerendus est.
[PAULUS in the thirteenth book on Sabinus.] But if the possessor indeed acted with malicious intent, whereas the plaintiff does not wish to take the oath, but prefers that his opponent be condemned for the actual value of the property, his wish must be complied with.

Notes

  1. §6.1.71.prquanti res sit — quanti is a genitive of value, and sit is in the subjunctive mood introducing an indirect question. This refers to the context where, instead of an subjective estimation by the plaintiff's oath (iusiurandum in litem), the plaintiff prefers the opponent to be condemned (condemnari) based on the objective, actual value ('how much the thing is worth') of the property.
  2. §6.1.71.prmos ei gerendus est — The idiom mos gerere (+ dative) means 'to comply with someone's wish' or 'to humor someone'. Here, ei refers to the actor (plaintiff), indicating that the plaintiff's request to have the judgment based on the actual value rather than taking the oath should be granted.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §6.1.71.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:6.1.71.pr

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