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Justinian I · The Digest of Justinian §9.4.40.pr

Theft by a Bequeathed Slave Prior to Inheritance Acceptance

Passage 1621 of 9271 · Latin

Summary

This section explains that if a bequeathed slave steals the future heir's personal property before the inheritance is accepted, an action for theft lies against the legatee, whereas if the slave steals unaccepted inherited property, only an action for production is available.

[IDEM libro uicensimo secundo digestorum. ] §9.4.40.prSi seruus legatus ante aditam hereditatem rem heredis futuri subtraxerit, poterit is cum legatario qui legatum agnouerit furti agere: sed si idem seruus hereditariam rem subtraxerit, furti actio cessabit, quia huiusmodi rerum furtum non fit: ad exhibendum autem actio competit.
[THE SAME, Digests, Book XXII.] If a bequeathed slave, before the inheritance is accepted, steals property belonging to the future heir, the latter can bring an action for theft against the legatee who has accepted the legacy; but if the same slave steals property belonging to the inheritance, the action for theft will not lie, because theft of property of this kind does not take place; on the other hand, an action for production is available.

Notes

  1. §9.4.40.prante aditam hereditatem — The preposition `ante` governs the noun `hereditatem` with the perfect passive participle `aditam` (from `adire`, "to accept"), expressing the event "before the inheritance is accepted" (the so-called *ab urbe condita* construction).
  2. §9.4.40.prfurti agere — The verb `agere` (here meaning "to bring an action") takes the genitive of the crime/charge `furti` (genitive of `furtum`, "theft"), meaning "to bring an action for theft."
  3. §9.4.40.prhereditariam rem — Under Roman law, property belonging to an inheritance that has not yet been accepted (the *hereditas iacens*) cannot be the object of theft (*furtum*), because there is no definite owner at that moment. Thus, instead of the `furti actio` (action for theft), the `actio ad exhibendum` (action for production) is available to compel the physical production and subsequent recovery of the property.

Cite this passage

Justinian I, The Digest of Justinian §9.4.40.pr. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi2806.phi002.humanitext-lat1:9.4.40.pr

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