LAW OF OBLIGATIONS
Table of Contents
OBLIGATIO.........................................................................................................................3
Meaning of obligatio....................................................................................................................3
Origin of the concept of obligatio.................................................................................................4
Sources of obligationes.................................................................................................................6
OBLIGATIONES EX CONTRACTU..........................................................................................7
Oldest types of contract...............................................................................................................7
Nexum.............................................................................................................................................................7
Sponsio..........................................................................................................................................................11
Agreement, contractus and pactum...........................................................................................12
Law of contracts v law of contract................................................................................................................12
Agreement....................................................................................................................................................12
Contractus.....................................................................................................................................................13
Pactum..........................................................................................................................................................14
General principles of Roman contract law..................................................................................16
CONTRACTUS VERBIS.......................................................................................................17
Importance and types.................................................................................................................17
Stipulatio....................................................................................................................................18
Classical requirements as to form................................................................................................................21
Abstract nature of stipulatio.........................................................................................................................25
Fields of application of the stipulatio...........................................................................................................25
Fideiussio......................................................................................................................................................31
Invalid stipulatio............................................................................................................................................32
CONTRACTUS LITTERIS.....................................................................................................34
CONTRACTUS RE (REAL CONTRACTS)................................................................................34
Introduction...............................................................................................................................34
Mutuum (=loan for consumption) INFORMAL LOAN...................................................................34
Commodatum (Loan for use)......................................................................................................38
Depositum (Bailment)................................................................................................................41
Pignus (Pledge)...........................................................................................................................44
Contractus re innominati............................................................................................................46
Problem areas for stipulatio and contractus re.................................................................48
CONTRACTUS EX CONSENSU (CONSENSUAL CONTRACTS).................................................54
Introduction...............................................................................................................................54
Locatio conductio (LEASE)...........................................................................................................55
locatio conductio rei (hire of things)............................................................................................................56
Locatio conductio operarum (hire of services).............................................................................................59
1
, Location conductio operis (hire of piece of work)........................................................................................61
Societas (partnership).................................................................................................................64
Mandatum..................................................................................................................................67
CONTRACT OF SALE (EMPTIO VENDITIO)..........................................................................74
Introduction...............................................................................................................................74
Merx...........................................................................................................................................74
Pretium.......................................................................................................................................78
Consensus...................................................................................................................................80
Conditional sale..........................................................................................................................84
Consequences of contract of sale...............................................................................................87
Introduction..................................................................................................................................................87
Risk rule in roman law and sa law................................................................................................................88
Other aspects of risk rule..............................................................................................................................89
Duties of the seller........................................................................................................................................90
warrant against eviction...............................................................................................................................91
Requirements for action for eviction............................................................................................................94
Duties of the buyer (actio venditi)................................................................................................................99
special clauses.............................................................................................................................................100
Chocolate quiz................................................................................................................104
Extra questions on warrant against eviction and liability for latent defect.....................105
Emptio vinditio practise questions..................................................................................107
OBLIGATIONES QUASI EX CONTRACTU...........................................................................111
Introduction..............................................................................................................................111
Types........................................................................................................................................111
Negotiorum gestio......................................................................................................................................111
Condictio.....................................................................................................................................................113
Her own summary of obligations quasi ex contractu................................................................113
OBLIGATIONES EX DELICTIO............................................................................................117
Introduction..............................................................................................................................117
Development............................................................................................................................117
Characteristics of actiones poenales.........................................................................................118
Specific delicts..........................................................................................................................118
Damnum iniuria datum (lex aquilia).........................................................................................119
Introduction................................................................................................................................................119
Original provisions of lex aquilia.................................................................................................................119
Extensions on lex aquilia.............................................................................................................................121
The action legis Aquiliae.............................................................................................................................125
Conclusion:..................................................................................................................................................125
Iniuria.......................................................................................................................................125
Introduction:...............................................................................................................................................125
Development by 12 tables..........................................................................................................................126
Reform: praetor..........................................................................................................................................127
2
, reform: jurists.............................................................................................................................................128
Remedy: actio iniuriarum...........................................................................................................................130
Final tutorial discussion..................................................................................................132
Use Latin word (obligatio) because
OBLIGATIO English word (obligation) means
something else
Meaning of obligatio
Etymology of the word “obligatio”
- Derived from the Latin word obstringat (to be bound by ropes)
- Initially “obligatio” signified physical bondage
- The stem, “lig” also indicates the idea of bondage, and “lex” indicating law
Definition of obligatio
- A bond or a tie of the law by which we are so constrained that we must by
necessity render something in accordance with the laws of our state
Obligatio entails
- A vinculum iuris (legal bond) between two parties (a debtor and a creditor)
- It binds one party (the debtor) to perform towards another (the creditor)
- One party (the debtor) has a duty and the other (the creditor) has a
corresponding right
- The creditor (the one with the right) has a personal action against the debtor
- Specific legal bond with economic content that can only be derived from certain
sources (eg. contract)
- Developed idea of obligatio = very NB legal invention, Schultz: “unique
achievement in the history of human civilization”
Duty
- Binds another person to give, to do or to perform something for us
- Can be extended to bind another person to refrain from doing something
Obligatio grants the creditor a personal right
- A relative not an absolute right
Make sure to distinguish
- Enforceable only against a specific person between meaning and
origin
3
, Origin of the concept of obligatio
Obligatio developed out of earlier idea: vinculum facti (physical bond)
The earliest physical restraint of the debtor can be found in the origin of the Roman
law of delict
Initially
- Relationships were regulated within the family context -> family dynamics are
able to deal with issues
- But not all relationships could be within the family context
- Person was required to make good for the harm that he had caused
- No state machinery in place
- Injured party had to take the law into his own hands
- He physically grabbed the wrongdoer
- Vengeance would take the form of an eye for an eye or the person could even be
killed
Manus iniectio
- Later, the state intervened
- Arrest of the perpetrator (manus iniectio)
- Perpetrator bound in chains and detained to encourage payment
- Still a private jail and person who was owed (creditor) did the arrest
XII tables: table 3
- Perpetrator could avert the vengeance by paying off the vengeance (initially
cattle and later money used to buy off the delict)
- If he did not pay, the manus iniectio procedure followed
o He was kept in a private jail and bound in chains –
o Could be held for 60 days
o During this time, the debtor was displayed in the market place for 3
consecutive market days -> encouraging him to either find the money
somewhere or for someone to feel sorry for him and pay on his behalf
4
Table of Contents
OBLIGATIO.........................................................................................................................3
Meaning of obligatio....................................................................................................................3
Origin of the concept of obligatio.................................................................................................4
Sources of obligationes.................................................................................................................6
OBLIGATIONES EX CONTRACTU..........................................................................................7
Oldest types of contract...............................................................................................................7
Nexum.............................................................................................................................................................7
Sponsio..........................................................................................................................................................11
Agreement, contractus and pactum...........................................................................................12
Law of contracts v law of contract................................................................................................................12
Agreement....................................................................................................................................................12
Contractus.....................................................................................................................................................13
Pactum..........................................................................................................................................................14
General principles of Roman contract law..................................................................................16
CONTRACTUS VERBIS.......................................................................................................17
Importance and types.................................................................................................................17
Stipulatio....................................................................................................................................18
Classical requirements as to form................................................................................................................21
Abstract nature of stipulatio.........................................................................................................................25
Fields of application of the stipulatio...........................................................................................................25
Fideiussio......................................................................................................................................................31
Invalid stipulatio............................................................................................................................................32
CONTRACTUS LITTERIS.....................................................................................................34
CONTRACTUS RE (REAL CONTRACTS)................................................................................34
Introduction...............................................................................................................................34
Mutuum (=loan for consumption) INFORMAL LOAN...................................................................34
Commodatum (Loan for use)......................................................................................................38
Depositum (Bailment)................................................................................................................41
Pignus (Pledge)...........................................................................................................................44
Contractus re innominati............................................................................................................46
Problem areas for stipulatio and contractus re.................................................................48
CONTRACTUS EX CONSENSU (CONSENSUAL CONTRACTS).................................................54
Introduction...............................................................................................................................54
Locatio conductio (LEASE)...........................................................................................................55
locatio conductio rei (hire of things)............................................................................................................56
Locatio conductio operarum (hire of services).............................................................................................59
1
, Location conductio operis (hire of piece of work)........................................................................................61
Societas (partnership).................................................................................................................64
Mandatum..................................................................................................................................67
CONTRACT OF SALE (EMPTIO VENDITIO)..........................................................................74
Introduction...............................................................................................................................74
Merx...........................................................................................................................................74
Pretium.......................................................................................................................................78
Consensus...................................................................................................................................80
Conditional sale..........................................................................................................................84
Consequences of contract of sale...............................................................................................87
Introduction..................................................................................................................................................87
Risk rule in roman law and sa law................................................................................................................88
Other aspects of risk rule..............................................................................................................................89
Duties of the seller........................................................................................................................................90
warrant against eviction...............................................................................................................................91
Requirements for action for eviction............................................................................................................94
Duties of the buyer (actio venditi)................................................................................................................99
special clauses.............................................................................................................................................100
Chocolate quiz................................................................................................................104
Extra questions on warrant against eviction and liability for latent defect.....................105
Emptio vinditio practise questions..................................................................................107
OBLIGATIONES QUASI EX CONTRACTU...........................................................................111
Introduction..............................................................................................................................111
Types........................................................................................................................................111
Negotiorum gestio......................................................................................................................................111
Condictio.....................................................................................................................................................113
Her own summary of obligations quasi ex contractu................................................................113
OBLIGATIONES EX DELICTIO............................................................................................117
Introduction..............................................................................................................................117
Development............................................................................................................................117
Characteristics of actiones poenales.........................................................................................118
Specific delicts..........................................................................................................................118
Damnum iniuria datum (lex aquilia).........................................................................................119
Introduction................................................................................................................................................119
Original provisions of lex aquilia.................................................................................................................119
Extensions on lex aquilia.............................................................................................................................121
The action legis Aquiliae.............................................................................................................................125
Conclusion:..................................................................................................................................................125
Iniuria.......................................................................................................................................125
Introduction:...............................................................................................................................................125
Development by 12 tables..........................................................................................................................126
Reform: praetor..........................................................................................................................................127
2
, reform: jurists.............................................................................................................................................128
Remedy: actio iniuriarum...........................................................................................................................130
Final tutorial discussion..................................................................................................132
Use Latin word (obligatio) because
OBLIGATIO English word (obligation) means
something else
Meaning of obligatio
Etymology of the word “obligatio”
- Derived from the Latin word obstringat (to be bound by ropes)
- Initially “obligatio” signified physical bondage
- The stem, “lig” also indicates the idea of bondage, and “lex” indicating law
Definition of obligatio
- A bond or a tie of the law by which we are so constrained that we must by
necessity render something in accordance with the laws of our state
Obligatio entails
- A vinculum iuris (legal bond) between two parties (a debtor and a creditor)
- It binds one party (the debtor) to perform towards another (the creditor)
- One party (the debtor) has a duty and the other (the creditor) has a
corresponding right
- The creditor (the one with the right) has a personal action against the debtor
- Specific legal bond with economic content that can only be derived from certain
sources (eg. contract)
- Developed idea of obligatio = very NB legal invention, Schultz: “unique
achievement in the history of human civilization”
Duty
- Binds another person to give, to do or to perform something for us
- Can be extended to bind another person to refrain from doing something
Obligatio grants the creditor a personal right
- A relative not an absolute right
Make sure to distinguish
- Enforceable only against a specific person between meaning and
origin
3
, Origin of the concept of obligatio
Obligatio developed out of earlier idea: vinculum facti (physical bond)
The earliest physical restraint of the debtor can be found in the origin of the Roman
law of delict
Initially
- Relationships were regulated within the family context -> family dynamics are
able to deal with issues
- But not all relationships could be within the family context
- Person was required to make good for the harm that he had caused
- No state machinery in place
- Injured party had to take the law into his own hands
- He physically grabbed the wrongdoer
- Vengeance would take the form of an eye for an eye or the person could even be
killed
Manus iniectio
- Later, the state intervened
- Arrest of the perpetrator (manus iniectio)
- Perpetrator bound in chains and detained to encourage payment
- Still a private jail and person who was owed (creditor) did the arrest
XII tables: table 3
- Perpetrator could avert the vengeance by paying off the vengeance (initially
cattle and later money used to buy off the delict)
- If he did not pay, the manus iniectio procedure followed
o He was kept in a private jail and bound in chains –
o Could be held for 60 days
o During this time, the debtor was displayed in the market place for 3
consecutive market days -> encouraging him to either find the money
somewhere or for someone to feel sorry for him and pay on his behalf
4
