Legal Definitions - Nullum Tempus Act

Term: Nullum Tempus Act
Definition: The Nullum Tempus Act was a law in English history that limited the time the Crown had to sue in land and other specified matters to 60 years. Before this law, the Crown had no time limit to sue. The law was created in 1769 and amended in 1862. It changed the common-law rule of "no time or place affects the Crown" which meant that the Crown was too busy with government affairs to attend to its legal affairs.
Examples: If the Crown wanted to sue someone for land, they had to do it within 60 years of the event. If they waited longer than 60 years, they could not sue. This law helped to ensure that legal matters were dealt with in a timely manner.