beneficium abstinendi

beneficium abstinendi (ben-[schwa]-fish-ee-[schwa]m ab-sti-nen-dI). [Latin “privilege of abstaining”] Roman law. The right of an heir to refuse an inheritance and thus avoid liability for the testator’s debts.

“[T]hese heirs came also to be protected by the praetor, viz. by the jus or beneficium abstinendi. Provided they took care not to act as heir in any kind of way, then, whether they formally demanded the privilege or not, their own property could not be made liable for their ancestor’s debts.” R.W. Leage, Roman Private Law 220 (C.H. Ziegler ed., 2d ed. 1930).

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词条贡献者

资深译员Gilbert，国际知名法学院法律翻译专业，擅长翻译各类与复杂知识产权诉讼相关的法律文件。