Actio ad exhibendum

»Actio ad exhibendum«

Contemporary lawyers are acquainted with the claim to presentation, but hardly know what to do with it. This was quite different in ancient Rome, where his predecessor, the actio ad exhibendum, kept lawyers occupied in many ways. In the sources it appears on the one hand as a preparatory procedure for a litigation on real rights, and on the other hand as a means of finally settling the dispute between the parties. The key to explaining this disparate finding is the functioning of the claim: It spares the plaintiff the proof of his asserted right and thus subjects the defendant to a special form of forfeiture.