Void Judgments Can Stand if Challenge Is Untimely, Court Says

A federal appeals court held that reasonable time limits exist for parties to challenge potentially void legal judgments, acknowledging that the ruling conflicts with all other federal circuits.

Motions to overturn void judgments—those with inherent procedural defects—must be made within a reasonable amount of time, pursuant to federal rules, Judge Joan L. Larsen of the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit said Friday in a 2-1 decision.

Noting that the panel’s decision is “out of step” with the more widely held view that there are no time constraints to challenge a void judgment under Federal Rule 60(b), Larsen ...