Legal Definitions - lex Scribonia

Definition: The lex Scribonia was a law in ancient Rome that was passed during the late Republic. This law abolished the acquisition of praedial servitudes through prescription.

Example: Praedial servitudes were rights that allowed someone to use another person's land for a specific purpose, such as a right of way or a right to draw water. Before the lex Scribonia, these rights could be acquired through prescription, which meant that if someone used the land for a certain period of time without objection from the owner, they could claim the right to continue using it. However, the lex Scribonia abolished this practice, making it impossible to acquire praedial servitudes through prescription.

Explanation: The example illustrates how the lex Scribonia impacted the acquisition of praedial servitudes. Before the law was passed, people could acquire these rights through prescription, but the law abolished this practice. This meant that people could no longer claim the right to use someone else's land simply by using it for a certain period of time without objection from the owner.