Noxae deditio delikventného otroka v prameňoch rímskeho práva
Noxae Deditio of a Delinquent Slave in the Sources of Roman Law

Summary/Abstract: The article examines the Roman law institution of noxae deditio, which essentially served a dual function: (a) it allowed the slave’s master to choose between assuming liability for the damage caused or surrendering the delinquent slave to the injured party; and (b) it enabled the injured party to exploit the slave’s labor, take revenge, and – most importantly – exercise both legal and factual control over him. In the first and second parts of the paper, the author critically analyzes the sources of Justinian addressing the issue of noxal liability of the possessor of a delinquent slave, noting that these sources are at times inconsistent. In the following sections, the author discusses the legal effects of noxae deditio and its execution not only under ius civile but also under ius gentium. In this context, the article analyzes Pomponius’ fragment (D. 50, 7, 18), which describes an analogous situation involving the surrender of an offender who physically attacked an ambassador of a foreign nation present on Roman territory after war had been declared, thereby violating the rules of international wartime law. In the final part, the author emphasizes that the surrender of a slave (as a res mancipi) to the injured party was not strictly limited to the civil owner; later, and under certain conditions, it could also be carried out by a bonitary owner, a bona fide possessor, or even a detentor – such as a usufructuary.

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