Juridical Dissertation on Contumacy

XXI.

The Essential Form consists in the very power of not obeying, with deceit, the stated precept or command of the Judge. Arg. t. t. Extra de dol. & contum. By this very fact, this delict is notoriously distinguished from other malicious frauds and acts of disobedience. The Accidental form, however, is situated in this: that (1.) Contumacy has been lawfully accused by the adversary, or by the [judge] himself, or by his procurator, within the time limit prefixed. Daß er deß Ungehorsams beschuldiget werde. Per l. 73. §. 1. ff. de Judic. l. 13. §. 2. C. eod. Auth. Qui semel Cod. Quom. & quando Jud. and there Brunnem[ann]. arg. l. 68. ff. de Judic. l. 4. de accus. ibi: ex una postul. l. 4. §. 8. ff. de damn. inf. Petr. Myllerus in dissert. de process. Judic. p. 435. n. 5. Gail. l. 1. Obs. 55. num. 6. & 7. Carpzov. de process. tit. 8. art. 1. num 4. & lib. 2. Resp. 47. num. 1. Brunnem. ad Auth. Qui semel C. Quom. & quand. Jud. Goswin. ab Esbach. ad Carpz. Jpr. for. P. 1. Const. 9. def. 15. Richter. p. 1. Consil. 48. num. 29. Mev. p. 5. Dec. 290. num. 8. ibi: Ob contumaciam nihil decernitur per Judicem nisi prius accusatus per partem. & P. 8. Dec. 170. Hilliger. ad Donell. Enucl. l. 23. c. 10. lit. D. Græven. P. 1. Conclus. 55. consil. 11. Nor is it to be determined otherwise if Contumacy is induced by statute, thinks Hartmann Pistor, d. p. 1. quæst. 3. num. 13. Scaccia de Judic. l. 1. c. 91. num. 18. Coler. de process. p. 1. c. 2. num. 17. Ziegler. ad Instit. J. Can. l. 3. tit. 6. §. 1. Brunnem. d. tr. de process. civil. c. 4. num. 7. Mev. p. 3. Dec. 390. num. 6. Notwithstanding that, when a penalty is inflicted by the Law itself, the act of a man is not required. Hilliger. ad Donell. Enucleat. l. 23. c. 10. lit. D. in fin. Sigism. Scaccia de Judic. l. 1. c. 91. num. 18. Dissenting: Franciscus de Caldas ad l. 3. C. de in int. restit. in defin. 10. n. 9. Bartolus ad l. 10. n. 5. ff. de publ judic. & l. 6. num. 3. ff. de pœn. Cases are excepted, however, where the Judge proceeds ex officio due to the public interest, especially in criminal matters, and supplies the place of the Plaintiff, such that, if the magistrate wills it, the proceedings must be conducted entirely against the Defendant in the principal case. Brunnem. d. tr. de process. civ. c. 4. num. 7. Tabor ad C. J. A. d. l. num. 16. Add. Mev. p. 8. dec. 357. Herm. Vultej. in Jpr. Contract. c. 30. Julius Clarus l. 5. sent. §. fin. quæst. 51. num. 9. & 11.

XXII.

It is also not sufficient to accuse Contumacy simply, so that proceedings may continue on account of it, but it is necessary furthermore to [make] a certain petition for a penalty: Mev. p. 3. Dec. 390. Illustr. Dn. Stryk. Introd. ad prax. for. caut. instit. c. 6. §. 9. where he warns that this must be well noted: Whence, because a lawful petition ought to be made first, the Judge decrees more or less thus: Wird auff beschuldigte Contumaciam weiter nichts/ sondern wañ gebührende Suchung einkommt/ was recht erkant; Mev. d. l. n. 8. Thence, the aforementioned Lord Stryk refers to the formula for accusing Contumacy, l. cit., that, with a preceding title, one should give thanks to the Judge for the prefixed term, and say that one has appeared, but that the Defendant is absent, and afterwards prove that the citation was lawfully served upon him, and solemnly accuse his Contumacy, with a lawful petition subjoined concerning the refunding of expenses. That, however, because it is an act of contentious Jurisdiction, cannot be done on any holy day. argum. l. 1. ff. de feriis. Mev. p. 3. Dec. 276. num. 1.